StemCell Therapy

A Lesser-Known Chemotherapy Side Effect

The well-known side effects of chemotherapy can usually be dealt with fairly effectively for many women, though we empathize with anyone having to go through chemo. Two of the most common chemo side effects, nausea and hair loss, can both be managed with available treatments. The same is true of another, lesser-known side effect of chemotherapy, called neuropathy.

Neuropathy is the medical term for numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes, caused by powerful chemotherapy drugs damaging the peripheral nerves. Women receiving ovarian cancer chemotherapy with the taxane (Taxol) or platinum group of drugs are particularly susceptible to this side effect of treatment.

Fortunately oncologists are usually well-versed in this side effect, and take steps to try and minimize the problem during treatment. We usually assess for the degree of neuropathy prior to every dose of chemotherapy, says Dr. Manojkumar Bupathi, a medical oncologist at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center in Littleton, Colorado. In the event that neuropathy is getting worse, we can adjust the doses or delay treatments. We can also switch a patients drugs if it becomes an ongoing issue.

Symptoms

In addition to the numbness and tingling sensations that are characteristic of neuropathy, some patients may also experience:

Treatment

Patients can try several different approaches to dealing with neuropathy. We usually ask patients to use things like ice packs or protective gloves to try and mitigate the neuropathy, says Dr. Bupathi.

When simple treatments like this dont work, patients may want to consult a neurologist who can help treat the condition with a variety of different medications, including:

Prognosis

Most neuropathy goes away and improves over time, but sometimes it can take upwards of a year before it gets better, says Dr. Bupathi. While neuropathy may be permanent, Dr. Bupathi says that it usually persists as numbness or tingling, and isnt usually debilitating, where someone isnt able to walk or do basic things like buttoning a shirt or lifting a pen off a countertop.

If youre undergoing chemotherapy and start to experience symptomsnumbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the hands and feetmake sure to let your oncologist know so that you can take steps to relieve the symptoms and prevent permanent nerve damage.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Manojkumar Bupathi is a medical oncologist with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers. Read More

Neuropathy is the medical term for numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes, caused by powerful chemotherapy drugs damaging the peripheral nerves. Women receiving ovarian cancer chemotherapy with the taxane (Taxol) or platinum group of drugs are particularly susceptible to this side effect of treatment.

Symptoms

In addition to the numbness and tingling sensations that are characteristic of neuropathy, some patients may also experience:

Treatment

Patients can try several different approaches to dealing with neuropathy. We usually ask patients to use things like ice packs or protective gloves to try and mitigate the neuropathy, says Dr. Bupathi.

When simple treatments like this dont work, patients may want to consult a neurologist who can help treat the condition with a variety of different medications, including:

Prognosis

Most neuropathy goes away and improves over time, but sometimes it can take upwards of a year before it gets better, says Dr. Bupathi. While neuropathy may be permanent, Dr. Bupathi says that it usually persists as numbness or tingling, and isnt usually debilitating, where someone isnt able to walk or do basic things like buttoning a shirt or lifting a pen off a countertop.

If youre undergoing chemotherapy and start to experience symptomsnumbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the hands and feetmake sure to let your oncologist know so that you can take steps to relieve the symptoms and prevent permanent nerve damage.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Manojkumar Bupathi is a medical oncologist with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers. Read More

Originally posted here:
How Do You Deal With The Painful Tingling of Neuropathy? A Side Effect of Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer - SurvivorNet

This entry was posted on May 25, 2020 at 8:47 pm and is filed under Neuropathy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |