Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating and dose-limiting complication of cancer treatment. Thus far, the impact of CIPN has not been studied in a systematic clinimetric manner. The objective of the study was to select outcome measures for CIPN evaluation and to establish their validity and reproducibility in a cross-sectional multicenter study. After literature review and a consensus meeting among experts, face/content validity were obtained for the following selected scales: the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC), the Total Neuropathy Score clinical version (TNSc), the modified Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT) group sensory sumscore (mISS), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30, and CIPN20 quality-of-life measures. A total of 281 patients with stable CIPN were examined. Validity (correlation) and reliability studies were carried out. Good inter-/intra-observer scores were obtained for the TNSc, mISS, and NCI-CTC sensory/motor subscales. Test–retest values were also good for the EORTC QLQ-C30 and CIPN20. Acceptable validity scores were obtained through the correlation among the measures. Good validity and reliability scores were demonstrated for the set of selected impairment and quality-of-life outcome measures in CIPN. Future studies are planned to investigate the responsiveness aspects of these measures.

Glioblastoma has a poor prognosis,^1,2 and, as tumors grow, patients often experience a progressive decline in neurologic function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).^3-7 The current standard of care is not curative but results in prolongation of life. However, extension of survival is meaningful only if patients’ functioning and well-being can be retained or improved.^8-11 Therefore, it is important to determine the net clinical benefit of each new treatment or treatment modality introduced; possible benefits of a new treatment, in terms of prolonged survival, have to be carefully weighed against potential negative effects of the treatment on the patients’ quality of life.