Quality-of-Life Changes Following Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Lung Cancer and Cisplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Sex-Stratified Analysis

Background/Objectives: Peripheral neuropathy is an important neurotoxic complication of cisplatin-based chemotherapy, but its occurrence may be accompanied by different changes across specific aspects of quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to evaluate longitudinal QoL changes in patients with lung cancer and determine whether they differed between women and men. Methods: This longitudinal analysis included 40 patients with lung cancer who developed cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy during cisplatin-based chemotherapy. QoL was assessed before chemotherapy and after four cycles using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Lung (FACT-L). Changes over time, sex differences, and time × sex interactions were evaluated using a repeated-measures General Linear Model. p-values were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure. Results: Of 40 patients, 27 (67.5%) were men and 13 (32.5%) were women. On the EORTC QLQ-C30, no significant time effects were observed after adjustment for multiple comparisons. On the FACT-L, Social/Family Well-Being decreased significantly (FDR-adjusted p = 0.024), whereas Lung Cancer Subscale scores increased significantly (FDR-adjusted p = 0.044). No significant main effects of sex were identified after adjustment for multiple comparisons. No significant time × sex interactions were identified for any outcome. Conclusions: Significant changes were observed in selected QoL outcomes during cisplatin-based chemotherapy, while no significant sex-related differences in longitudinal changes were identified. Given the small and sex-imbalanced sample, the absence of significant interactions should not be interpreted as evidence of equivalent QoL changes between women and men.