Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a numbness, tingling, or pain that can occur in your hands and/or feet as a side effect of chemotherapy.

HANDS: It may affect your fine motor skills. You may notice yourself dropping items, such as keys, having difficulty opening doors, or fumbling with buttons, etc.

FEET: Peripheral neuropathy from chemo may affect your walking. You may notice your feet catching on rugs or feeling unstable while walking.

If you want to prevent/minimize your chances of peripheral neuropathy during your infusion, click “prevent” for more info.

PREVENT

If you have already experienced some neuropathy, click “restore” for more information and strategies.

RESTORE

If you want to read current research about peripheral neuropathy options during your infusion, click “research” for more info.

RESEARCH

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY PUTS YOU AT RISK FOR AN INJURY, SUCH AS BURNS OR FALLS.

The good news is there are two options that may minimize the impacts of chemotherapy on your hands and feet:

COOLING GLOVES AND SOCKS

OR

COMPRESSION GLOVES AND SOCKS

Scroll through the pages below or click the links.

Definitions:

“CIPN”: Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

“Cryotherapy”: the use of cold for medical treatment or therapy, like cooling gloves and cooling socks.

“Compression”: very tightly-fitted

CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF YOU HAVE:

Severe numbness, tingling, pain that

interferes with self-care.

Unable to stand or walk due to symptoms of

numbness, tingling or pain.

Any questions or concerns.

Approximately 30 - 70% of individuals going through chemotherapy experience peripheral neuropathy.

— A wide percentage variance due to multiple variables: different types of chemotherapy administered, different dosages, and different individual responses.

How to PREVENT / MINIMIZE Neuropathy in your Hands and Feet DURING an infusion

This educational video provides information on research for minimizing chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy, specifically for patients being treated for breast cancer.

COOLING GLOVES & SOCKS AND COMPRESSION GARMENTS…

THE RESEARCH

Currently, there are TWO main strategies for protecting the hands and feet of individuals undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer:

Cooling gloves and cooling socks
Compression gloves and compression socks.

Research on the effectiveness of these two options is on-going and active.

Below are some examples of current research, with with quotes from the researchers’ conclusions and findings. There are also links to the research so you can make your own informed and educated decisions on what might work best for you!

THE CROPSI STUDY:

“Conclusion

Our study suggests that cryotherapy as well as cryocompression is a safe and effective way to cool patients’ extremities to lower the prevalence of CIPN. Cryocompression was not more effective than cryotherapy alone in the prevention of CIPN.”

Brunner, M. Emmelheinz, D. Egle, et al. Cropsi study: efficacy and safety of cryotherapy and cryocompression in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with breast and gynecological cancer–A prospective, randomized trialBreast, 76 (2024)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960977624000948C.

THE ELEGANT STUDY:

“FINDINGS: “Compression therapy with SG [surgical gloves] is effective to reduce paclitaxel-induced PN and met patient satisfaction. PN prevention is easy to implement. These results contribute to better prevent PN and to improve patient quality of life during and after chemotherapy.””

Joureau-Chabert, A. et al. Efficacy of surgical gloves (SG) as compression therapy versus frozen gloves (FG) to prevent paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN): The trial ELEGANT. ESMO Open, Volume 9, 103332.

https://www.esmoopen.com/article/S2059-7029(24)01100-1/fulltext

This study referenced below COMPARED the two options; they found compression therapy was the most effective intervention to prevent CIPN and was well tolerated.

Accordino, M. K., et al. Randomized adaptive selection trial of cryotherapy, compression therapy, and placebo to prevent taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 204 (1) (2024), pp. 49-59.

ACTIVE RESEARCH:

THE AIUR STUDY

Study Started: June 13, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual): December 17, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026

The AIUR Trial: Surgical Gloves to Prevent Peripheral Neuropathy (AIUR)

“This study aims to demonstrate the preventive effect of compression therapy using surgical gloves in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are utilized for comparing the change in neuropathic pain between intervention and control groups. Among the PROMs, the neurotoxicity component of the functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-taxane (FACT-Tax) is used for good and poor outcomes between baseline and post-chemotherapy in paclitaxel-treated breast cancer patients.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12885-023-11079-8

Kang, YJ., Yoon, C.I., Yang, YJ. et al. A randomized controlled trial using surgical gloves to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy by paclitaxel in breast cancer patients (AIUR trial). BMC Cancer 23, 570 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-11079-8

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05771974

HOW TO RESTORE SENSATION:

Hand Exercises with Stress Ball

A recent research study found that women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy found relief from peripheral neuropathy by completing hand exercises with a stress ball. Cooling gloves and/or compression gloves may help DURING the chemo infusion, but if you are experiencing symptoms now, this video may help!

Current research indicates that hand and foot exercises may help nerves in the extremities regain sensation.

— Uysal, N., Ünal Toprak, F. The effect of hand and foot exercises on peripheral neuropathy and quality of life in women with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Support Care Cancer 33, 83 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-025-09145-x