eP361 - Association Between Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Low Anterior Resection Syndrome

Purpose/Background: Two common side effects of rectal cancer treatment include chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). CIPN and LARS can have long-term detrimental effects on patients’ quality of life. However, little is known as to whether there is a relationship between these two entities. We sought to evaluate if there was an association between sensory CIPN and LARS in patients who underwent chemotherapy and low anterior resection (LAR) for the treatment of rectal cancer.Methods/Interventions: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent an LAR and chemotherapy between 2017-2023 at a single institution. Patients were identified using the ICD10 code C20 (malignant neoplasm of the rectum) and contacted via telephone to consent to complete the questionnaire administered either by telephone or sent through email. We used the validated LARS Score to measure LARS and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy-20 (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20) to measure neuropathy. Major LARS was defined as a score of ≥30/42. Clinical information including patient demographics, surgical treatment and pathologic features were extracted from the EMR. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS.Results/Outcomes: There were 65 patients who were contacted with 45 patients completing the questionnaire (69% response rate). There were 19 (42%) female patients with a mean age of 59 years (SD ± 11, range 35-82, Table 1). The mean distance of the tumor from the anal verge was 8 cm (SD ± 4, range 2-17). Clinical tumor stage ranged from T2N1 to T3N2. There were 37 (82%) patients who had a diverting loop ileostomy at time of LAR with an average duration of 5 months (SD ± 3, range 1 – 12) prior to ostomy reversal. There were 41 (91%) of patients with LARS. There was a mean LARS score of 33 (SD ± 7) and median LARS score of 35 (IQR = 10, range 11-41). The mean sensory CIPN score was 33 (SD ± 24, range 0 – 89). The correlation between LARS score and sensory CIPN was r = 0.27 (p = 0.073). The average length of time between final surgical treatment and questionnaire completion was 36 months (SD ± 19, 4-76). There was no correlation between LARS score and time since last surgical operation, r = 0.13 (p = 0.4).Conclusion/

Discussion: LARS and sensory CIPN can have significant negative effects on a patient’s quality of life. In this study, we found that there was a positive correlation seen between the two effects trending towards significance. Interestingly, LARS persisted for many years in several patients, suggesting that bowel function changes may become an enduring factor for patients. Further investigation of the mechanisms underlying LARS and sensory CIPN could identify potential interventions that mitigate both effects on rectal cancer care recovery.