While treatment of the once fatal cancer became possible, many women treated breast cancer using taxanes.
The new tool, created by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, could help doctors tailor treatments to avoid persistent side effects in those at greatest risk.
The university's Christina Engvall said nerve damage is a very common side effect after taxane treatment for breast cancer. They often persist for several years.
"For those affected, this is extremely stressful and has a major impact on quality of life," he said.
For the study published in the journal NPJ Precision Oncology, the team surveyed side effects in 337 patients treated with docetaxel or paclitaxel for breast cancer.
Between two and six years, more than one in four patients reported leg cramps as the most common side effect of nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy. Difficulty in opening jars, numbness in legs, tingling in feet and difficulty in climbing stairs were other side effects.
To develop predictive models, researchers sequenced patients' genes and then created models that linked genetic characteristics to various side effects of taxane treatment.
Researchers were able to model the risk of persistent numbness and tingling in the feet using machine learning.
The two models divided patients into two sets: one with a higher risk of frequent side effects, and one that corresponded to the frequency of peripheral neuropathy in the general population.
Christina said the new tool could help personalize treatment.
The new tool, created by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, could help doctors tailor treatments to avoid persistent side effects in those at greatest risk.
The university's Christina Engvall said nerve damage is a very common side effect after taxane treatment for breast cancer. They often persist for several years.
"For those affected, this is extremely stressful and has a major impact on quality of life," he said.
For the study published in the journal NPJ Precision Oncology, the team surveyed side effects in 337 patients treated with docetaxel or paclitaxel for breast cancer.
Between two and six years, more than one in four patients reported leg cramps as the most common side effect of nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy. Difficulty in opening jars, numbness in legs, tingling in feet and difficulty in climbing stairs were other side effects.
To develop predictive models, researchers sequenced patients' genes and then created models that linked genetic characteristics to various side effects of taxane treatment.
Researchers were able to model the risk of persistent numbness and tingling in the feet using machine learning.
The two models divided patients into two sets: one with a higher risk of frequent side effects, and one that corresponded to the frequency of peripheral neuropathy in the general population.
Christina said the new tool could help personalize treatment.
