Serum neurofilament light chain levels as a biomarker of neuroaxonal injury and severity of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy

We set out to determine the usability of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP), and retinal parameters by using optical coherence tomography (OCT) as reliable biomarkers of the progression of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN). Forty-three patients scheduled to undergo oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy at the National Cancer Center of Korea between June 2018 and October 2019 were prospectively assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months of chemotherapy. Patients were assessed on clinical scales and underwent OCT, sNfL, and sGFAP level measurement at each follow-up visit. By applying the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC), OIPN was classified as grade 1 in 12 (28%) patients, grade 2 in 25 (58%), and grade 3 in 5 (12%) at 6 months of chemotherapy. sNfL levels increased during oxaliplatin administration, while serial sGFAP levels or retinal parameters did not change. Patients with grade-3 OIPN showed significantly higher mean sNfL levels than patients with grade 0–2 OIPN at 6 months of treatment. At 4–6 months after completion of chemotherapy, sNfL levels were significantly reduced compared to the levels at 6 months of chemotherapy. Monitoring of sNfL during chemotherapy can indicate ongoing neuroaxonal injury and the severity of OIPN.