Improving Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Breast or Colon Cancer after End of (Neo)adjuvant Therapy: Results from the Observational Study STEFANO

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect persisting after completion of neurotoxic chemotherapies. This observational study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the dietary supplement OnLife (R) (patented mixture of specific fatty acids and palmitoylethanolamide) in improving symptoms of CIPN in breast and colon cancer patients. Methods: Improvement of CIPN was evaluated in adult patients, previously treated with (neo)adjuvant paclitaxel- (breast cancer) or oxaliplatin-based (colon cancer) therapies, receiving OnLife (R) for 3 months after completion of chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was to compare the severity of peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) and peripheral motor neuropathy (PMN) before and at the end of OnLife (R) treatment. Secondary endpoints included the assessment of patient-reported quality of life and CIPN symptoms as assessed by questionnaires. Results: 146 patients (n = 75 breast cancer patients and n = 71 colon cancer patients) qualified for analysis; 31.1% and 37.5% of breast cancer patients had an improvement of PSN and PMN, respectively. In colon cancer patients, PSN and PMN improved in 16.9% and 20.0% of patients, respectively. According to patient-reported outcomes, 45.9% and 37.5% of patients with paclitaxel-induced PSN and PMN, and 23.9% and 22.0% of patients with oxaliplatin-induced PSN and PMN experienced a reduction of CIPN symptoms, respectively. Conclusion: OnLife (R) treatment confirmed to be beneficial in reducing CIPN severity and in limiting the progression of neuropathy, more markedly in paclitaxel-treated patients and also in patients with oxaliplatin-induced CIPN.