Evaluate The Efficacy and Safety Of Pregabalin In Prevention, Reduction of Oxaliplatin-Induced Painful Neuropathy

Oxaliplatin (Ox) is part of most treatment regimens for colorectal cancer. However, it may induce side effects, such as a specific injury to peripheral nerves called neuropathy. Ox-induced neuropathy is frequently painful. The presence of pain after its administration may hamper the full chemotherapeutic treatment of patients with colorectal cancer receiving this agent. Recently, it has been suggested that the appearance of acute neuropathy after oxaliplatin (Ox) infusion could predict the distal polyneuropathy seen some months after treatment. These two adverse events related to Ox treatment probably share different mechanistic backgrounds. However, recent experimental data suggest that both types of peripheral neuropathies are able to induce central sensitization, a major step to the occurrence of chronic pain. Pregabalin is a molecule used to teat neuropathic pain since it can diminish the peripheral sensitization seen in this painful condition. Recently, it has also been shown that pregabalin can be used to treat neuropathic pain related to Ox treatment. In the present study, we will test the hypothesis that Pregabalin administrated exclusively for three days before and three days after the Ox infusion is able to prevent the occurrence of pain secondary to both the acute and chronic Ox-associated neuropathies. In the classical FLOX chemotherapeutic regimen, Ox is infused in nine sessions during a six-month period. Patients will be followed for a year and nerve conduction tests, quantitative sensory evaluation, pain, quality of life and functional scales will be used to assess the impact of this strategy in the prevention of pain. If this strategy proves to work, this information will have a major impact in the cancer prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer since Ox will be able to administer in its full dose, and will not be limited by neuropathic side effects.