Currently there is no treatment that can reverse nerve damage. To stop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy from getting worse, your doctor may change how much or how often you have chemotherapy. In severe cases, chemotherapy may need to be stopped altogether. If peripheral neuropathy is caused by the cancer itself, symptoms may ease once the cancer has been treated. For some people, the damage may be permanent.
You may be worried about telling your treatment team that you have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy because you want to complete the cancer treatment. But not telling them could mean that you miss any chance to reverse the nerve damage and symptoms. If your doctor recommends pausing or stopping chemotherapy, they will talk to you about other ways to treat the cancer.
→ READ MORE: Managing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy
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Dr Fiona Day, Senior Staff Specialist Medical Oncologist, Calvary Mater Newcastle, NSW; James Chirgwin, Senior Physiotherapist – Oncology, Haematology and Palliative Care, The Wesley Hospital, QLD; Kim Kerin-Ayres, Nurse Practitioner Cancer Survivorship, Sydney Cancer Survivorship Centre, Concord Hospital, NSW; Melanie Moore, Lead Exercise Physiology Clinical Supervisor, UC Cancer Wellness Clinic, University of Canberra, ACT; Olivia Palac, Acting Assistant Director, Occupational Therapy, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Danielle Rippin, Consumer; Dr Jane Wheatley, Clinical and Health Psychologist, Department of Pain Medicine, St Vincent’s Health Network, Sydney, NSW.
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