Letter to the Editor: Balancing efficacy and toxicity: The critical role of predictive models in colorectal cancer chemotherapy

Table 1 Common toxicities of first-line colorectal cancer chemotherapy regimens that warrant integrated prediction

Toxicity type	Occurrence of risk	Clinical impact	Associated regimens	Impact on decision-making
Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression	High (FOLFOX); low (CAPOX)	Neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia; risk of fever, infection, fatigue, bleeding	FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, CAPOX	Common reasons for dose delay, reduction, or use of growth factor support
Severe diarrhea	High (FOLFOX); medium (CAPOX)	Watery stools, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance	FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, CAPOX	Frequent cause of dose modification or treatment interruption; requires proactive management
Peripheral neuropathy	Low (FOLFOX); high (CAPOX)	Numbness, tingling in the limbs, can progress to functional impairment (e.g., difficulty with fine motor tasks)	FOLFOX, CAPOX	Cumulative toxicity often leads to dose reduction or discontinuation of oxaliplatin
Hand-foot syndrome	Medium (FOLFOX); high (CAPOX)	Erythema, swelling, pain, blistering on palms and soles	FOLFOX, CAPOX	May necessitate dose reduction or interruption of capecitabine/fluorouracil

FOLFIRI: Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan; FOLFOX: Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin; CAPOX: Capecitabine and oxaliplatin.