Exploring Cancer Patients' Perspectives on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Experiences and Its Management: A Qualitative Study

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is often an overlooked side effect, affecting cancer patients' quality of life. Improving this requires an in-depth understanding of how patients perceived their CIPN experience, which this study had explored. This study also sought to identify potential barriers to current CIPN management among Malaysian cancer patients. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted among cancer patients who had a confirmed diagnosis of CIPN from one hospital and a local cancer organization. Interviews were conducted until theme saturation was achieved (N = 22). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged: manageable CIPN experiences impacting activities of daily living despite limited awareness, current conventional treatments of CIPN were partially effective with side effects, and explorative of alternative treatment options for CIPN. The study results indicated that patients experienced CIPN, which was considerably mild and impacted their life activities to a small extent. The limited information provided about CIPN contributed to a sense of uncertainty among patients. They emphasized the importance of more accessible information and education about CIPN and its management. Although the conventional management of CIPN was able to partly control symptoms, patients experienced side effects from the prescribed medications. Interestingly, patients expressed openness to explore new treatments to help them cope better with CIPN. These findings highlighted the need for a comprehensive, patient-centred approach to CIPN management. Insights from patient experiences could guide the development of educational interventions, such as patient's assessment form on CIPN experiences and awareness activities to enhance CIPN care.