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Cold therapy to prevent paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy

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Abstract

Purpose

This case-control study was designed to assess the efficacy of cryotherapy to prevent paclitaxel-induced painful peripheral neuropathy in women with breast cancer.

Methods

Participants served as their own paired control, with randomization of the cooled glove/sock to either the dominant or the non-dominant hand/foot, worn for 15 min prior to, during, and 15 min after completion of the paclitaxel infusion. Outcome measures included the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, the Brief Pain Inventory, and quantitative sensory testing. Data were measured at each of six time points—baseline, post-treatment (approximately 2 weeks after the last paclitaxel infusion), and at the first, fifth, ninth, and final weekly paclitaxel treatments.

Results

Of 29 randomized participants, 20 (69%) received at least one cryotherapy treatment, and 11 (38%) received all four cryotherapy treatments. Ten (34%) participants could not tolerate the cryotherapy, and six (21%) declined further participation at some point during the trial. Only seven participants (24%) were available for the final post-chemotherapy QST and questionnaires. There were no significant differences in measures of neuropathy or pain between treated and untreated hands or feet.

Conclusions

Strategies to prevent painful peripheral neuropathy are urgently needed. In this current trial, dropout due to discomfort precluded adequate power to fully understand the potential benefits of cryotherapy. Much more research is needed to discover safe and effective preventive strategies that can be easily implemented within busy infusion centers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all of the patients who participated in this study as well as Southwest Technologies, Inc. for their supply of the devices used in this trial. The authors also acknowledge Norman Harden, MD, and Vania Apkarian, PhD, for sharing the equipment and education in the conduct of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hospital Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Claire Griffiths

  2. Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Nancy Kwon

  3. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Jennifer L. Beaumont

  4. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 850, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Judith A. Paice

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  1. Claire Griffiths
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  2. Nancy Kwon
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  4. Judith A. Paice
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Correspondence to Judith A. Paice.

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Conflict of interest

Southwest Technologies provided the devices used in this clinical trial. None of the authors has a financial relationship with this organization or other conflicts of interest. Southwest Technologies did not have access to the data nor were they involved in authorship of this paper. The corresponding author has full control of the primary data and agrees to allow the journal to review the data on request.

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Griffiths, C., Kwon, N., Beaumont, J.L. et al. Cold therapy to prevent paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. Support Care Cancer 26, 3461–3469 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4199-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4199-9

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