Neuropathy with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Objective: To explore the association of peripheral neuropathy with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) use in cancer patients.
Methods: Published data search up to November 2018 reporting peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients treated with VEGFR-TKIs was performed. The primary outcome was presence of peripheral neuropathy at the end of the trial. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate Relative Risk (RR) of individual treatment.
Results: Thirty Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) including 12,490 cancer patients were included in this analysis. Eight studies compared VEGFR-TKIs with placebo and the remaining studies compared VEGFR-TKIs with the standard chemotherapeutic regimen. When compared against placebo VEGFR-TKIs were associated with a higher risk of peripheral neuropathy (RR=1.76, 95% CI 1.13-2.75, p-value 0.01). Similarly, a stronger association was noted for sensory neuropathy with VEGFR-TKIs monotherapy (RR =...