Studies to Assess the Utility of Serum Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most common and disabling dose-limiting toxicities of chemotherapy. We report here the results of two separate non-interventional studies (49 patients), which evaluated blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a biomarker of CIPN in breast cancer patients treated with paclitaxel. All patients underwent a standard treatment protocol that was established independently of the present studies. NfL was measured in serum using an ultrasensitive single-molecule array and compared with the self-administered European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-CIPN twenty-item scale (CIPN20) and Total Neuropathy Score clinical version (TNSc), a clinician-reported measure of neuropathy progression. The TNSc increased with cumulative dose compared with baseline, and the NfL concentrations were also strongly associated with the cumulative dose of chemotherapy. The analysis showed a correlation between TNSc and NfL. Both TNSc and NfL showed weak to moderate associations with CIPN20 subscores, with a better association for the CIPN20 sensory compared with motor and autonomic subscores. Data from the two studies provide evidence that serum NfL has the potential to be used as a biomarker to monitor and mitigate CIPN. However, studies with additional patients planned in the ongoing clinical trial will determine the universal application of NfL as a biomarker in CIPN.