Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Patients

Identifying the causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients can be difficult. There are many common causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Peripheral neuropathies arise from disorders associated specifically within the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can include numbness, tingling, pins and needles sensations, sensitivity to touch, or muscle weakness. There are multiple causes of peripheral neuropathy in patients with cancer, identifying the culprit may be complicated by a plethora of etiologies. The peripheral neuropathy can originate from the cancer…
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Neuropathy Awareness Week

May 5th thru the 12th is National Neuropathy Awareness Week. Neuropathy is a chronic condition that affects millions of people in America. While there is no cure for neuropathy, there are ways to manage the pain associated with it. Many groups including the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy and the American Health Council help patients dealing with pain find additional resources such as mental health guides for managing pain. As well as garnering support for research funding to learn more about peripheral neuropathy. So this Neuropathy Awareness week, take time to learn more about this condition and how it can affect…
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Low Vitamin D linked to Peripheral Neuropathy

Recent studies have reported that patients with Type 2 diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy showed lower Vitamin D levels than patients without T2 diabetes or peripheral neuropathy. Some studies also found including a vitamin D supplementation could help improve painful neuropathic symptoms, which suggests vitamin D could have a role in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.  Low Vitamin D linked to Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients with type 2 diabetes and painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy had significantly lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels compared with healthy volunteers and patients with type 2 diabetes without neuropathy or with painless neuropathy, according to data published in Diabetic Medicine.…
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Multivitamins May Reduce CIPN

Women who take multivitamin supplements before their breast cancer diagnosis and during chemotherapy appear to be less likely to develop the debilitating, often long-lasting symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), according to a new study.   In a large study of breast cancer patients undergoing paclitaxel chemotherapy, those who used multivitamins were about 40% less likely to suffer sensory loss. The researchers published their results online ahead of print in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “Our study showed that use of multivitamin supplements, but not specific vitamins, was associated with less neurotoxicity. This was true for use before diagnosis and, to…
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Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy In Young Adults

Long-term uncontrolled glycemic levels primary cause of complication in diabetes, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy. There is a gradual increase in incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) among the U.S. youth population. Studies show that if this continues, diabetes prevalence among the youth population will triple within three decades. One of the most distressing complications of chronic diabetes is diabetic peripheral neuropathy and contributes to significant disability and diminished quality of life. It has been well-researched and documented among the adult population but not so with the adolescents and young adults in the U.S. Prevalence…
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Vitamin B3 Reduces Pain From Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Nicotinamide riboside (NR), a type of vitamin B3, may prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a recent study in animals has shown. Although chemotherapy increases survival rates, it can have serious side effects, including peripheral neuropathy, that affect quality of life.1 "Our findings support the idea that NR could potentially be used to prevent or mitigate CIPN in cancer patients, resulting in a meaningful improvement in their quality of life and the ability to sustain better and longer treatment," said Marta Hamity, PhD, assistant research scientist at University of Iowa, Iowa City. For this study, the researchers examined the effects of…
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Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Management

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects approximately 60-70% of diabetic patients and a total of 347 million people worldwide.1 This complication is not only associated with painful symptoms, but can also lead to significant consequences such as paresthesia, loss of sensation, ulcers, osteomyelitis, gangrene, foot deformities, and amputation. Common symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy are listed in Table 1. Because the symptoms and complications of diabetic peripheral neuropathy can lead to a significant decrease in a patient's quality of life, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the various treatment options available in the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Unfortunately, treating…
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Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

Dr. Brian M. Ilfeld, MD, MS, feels this strongly about the potential for ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation. It's a technology that he says has the potential to forever change the way anesthesiologists treat acute postoperative pain. He discussed the results of a prospective feasibility study. As well as the potential for the technology’s future—at the 2016 annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine meeting (abstract A1265). Gradually, a Technique Emerges “There were very early reports of using electricity applied cutaneously to provide analgesia following surgical procedures,” said Dr. Ilfeld. He is a professor of anesthesiology in residence at the…
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Buprenorphine Patches in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Transdermal buprenorphine may be an effective therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). However the treatment was associated with a high rate of adverse events, mostly nausea and/or vomiting. The findings come from a newly published multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Ninety-three patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes were enrolled and received either buprenorphine (5μg/h) or placebo patches. All the patients had been experiencing moderate to severe DPNP for a minimum of 6 months on maximal tolerated conventional therapy. The dose was titrated to effect to a maximum of 40μg/h for the study. Results showed that of those…
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Inherited Neuropathy: New Cause Identified

Neurology researchers link mutations in myelin protein to Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, an inherited neuropathy. PHILADELPHIA - Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) is in the family of inherited neuropathy, of the peripheral nervous system, affecting approximately one in 2,500 Americans. Its most common iteration, CMT1, comes in many forms, most of which have to date been linked to a small set of causative genes. New research from the department of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recently spanned the globe to uncover a new genetic cause of CMT1. Their findings are published online…
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