Assessment and Treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy- a Physical Therapy Perspective

Abstract

Chemotherapy is recognized as a mainline treatment for all types of cancer, and its most debilitating and dose-limiting complication is Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), the mechanisms of nerve damage of which depends upon the specific chemotherapeutic agent used. Use of non-invasive treatment methods such as physical therapy may provide a valuable therapeutic adjunctive option in patients with CIPN. Physical therapy treatment methods had been shown to produce effective symptom control and enhance quality of life in palliative care. A detailed evidence-based update of literature is provided under evaluation and management of CIPN with a special perspective of physical therapy management using a proposed clinical reasoning-based treatment decision making algorithm so that an ‘out of the box’ self-reflective evidence-informed critical thinking process is applied along a collaborative multidisciplinary biopsychosocial approach. Keywords: Chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity; Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy; Physical therapy; Palliative rehabilitation