This retrospective study was undertaken to identify predictive factors for developing taxane acute pain syndrome (TAPS) and to determine new strategies for improving QoL in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Between November 2010 and May 2018, we enrolled 121 breast cancer patients at our outpatient chemotherapy center who were undergoing chemotherapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) every 3 weeks. Variables related to the development of TAPS were extracted from the patients' clinical records and used for regression analysis. The degree of TAPS was classified as grade 0 = not developed; grade 1 = developed but did not require analgesics; grade 2 = developed but alleviated by analgesics such as acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); or grade 3 = syndrome developed, causing sleep problems or interfering with daily living activities, but not alleviated by analgesics such as acetaminophen or NSAIDs thus requiring opioids. Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for the development of TAPS. Significant factors identified for the development of TAPS included dose of nab-PTX (odds ratio (OR) = 11.717, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.6161-11.8182; P = 0.0421) and the administration of dexamethasone for up to 3 days (OR = 0.133, 95% CI = 0.0235-0.7450; P = 0.0223). In conclusion, a high dose of nab-PTX and the lack of dexamethasone administration for up to 3 days were identified as significant predictors of the development of TAPS.
Keywords: Dexamethasone; Dose; Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel; TAPS; Taxanes.