Topical Tx reduces cutaneous neuropathy from cancer chemotherapy
- John Evans
- 19 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Researchers have developed a topical cream that relieves some cutaneous side effects of chemotherapy with taxanes or platinum salts—specifically neuropathy.
Findings from an international clinical trial of the cream, published in Clinical & Translational Oncology, confirm that topical application can significantly reduce the incidence of neuropathy in the hands and delay the onset of symptoms during treatment.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Research, Development and Innovation in Health Biotechnology of Elche (IDiBE) at Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche, Spain. IDiBE-UMH professors Asia Fernández Carvajal, PhD, and Antonio Ferrer Montiel, PhD, coordinated this multicentre clinical trial.
In the paper, the authors note that as many as 80% of patients treated with these types of chemotherapy experience hand–foot neuropathy, an adverse effect that may force dose reduction or even treatment interruption.
Researchers included 142 patients with cancer from nine hospitals across Spain and Belgium. The trial compared a conventional moisturizing cream with a nociceutical formulation developed at UMH and marketed by the spin-off company Prospera Biotech.
The authors observed a reduction in the incidence of hand neuropathy, a delay in the onset of neuropathic symptoms during chemotherapy, and, overall, a lower impact of these symptoms on patients’ daily lives. They say their findings pave the way for new healthcare options to address an adverse effect that, until now, lacked effective preventive treatments.
“Before the development of this formulation, oncologists and patients had no specific product to relieve these symptoms, which were often so severe that they led to dose reduction or even treatment discontinuation—with consequences for tumour control,” said Dr. Carvajal in a press release. He noted the rate of dose reduction or treatment abandonment in patients with peripheral neuropathy can reach up to 60%.
In the release, Dr. Montiel said that the ingredients of the cream “protect sensory nerve endings in the skin, which are responsible for discomfort and itching in the peripheral neurosensory system.” In this way, topical protection helps reduce hypersensitivity in hands and feet and improves tolerance to chemotherapy.
The product is currently available in European pharmacies as a neurocosmetic without a prescription. “Moving into clinical trials is not easy, but we believe the effort is worthwhile if it allows this formulation to become an adjuvant during chemotherapy and after treatment, supporting the ongoing care of cancer patients,” said Dr. Montiel.
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