| Sumario: | Significance & Background: Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is the most common neurological symptom patients receiving chemotherapy report, affecting 30-50% of patients. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, cold sensitivity, and impaired motor function. These adverse effects reduce quality of life and can lead to discontinuation of treatment. Currently, there is limited and effective pharmacologic ways to reduce CIPN. Clinical observations I noted showed some patients using cryotherapy, but it is not commonly used in practice. This underscores the need for non-pharmacologic interventions such as cryotherapy. Purpose: The purpose of this evidence- based review is to determine the effectiveness of cryotherapy in reducing chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy in adult cancer patients receiving neurotoxic agents. Using the PICO framework, I posed the question: in adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy does the use of cryotherapy compared to no use of cryotherapy reduce the incidence and severity of CIPN? Interventions: I used PubMed and Cinhal to search for peer reviewed articles within the past seven years. Five studies were reviewed including two randomized controlled trials, 1 meta-analysis, 1 observational study and 1 systematic review. Interventions included cryotherapy applied to the hands/ feet that were cooled to about -20°C. Cooling started 30 minutes before chemotherapy, during treatment and were kept on for 30 minutes after treatment. Patients in the control group received standard care without cryotherapy. Results: Throughout this literature review, cryotherapy resulted in a reduction in the occurrence and severity of peripheral neuropathy. 24.85% of patients receiving cryotherapy developed neuropathy compared to 43.35% in control groups, representing a 55% risk reduction. Patients also reported fewer symptoms of numbness, tingling, cold sensitivity, and an overall improvement in quality of life. Additionally, only 29% of patients receiving cryotherapy developed moderate to severe neuropathy compared to 50% in the control group. While all studies showed a reduction in CPN, limitations were noted warranting a need for further studies. Discussion: This literature review finding highlights cryotherapy as a safe, inexpensive, and achievable non-pharmacologic modality to prevent and reduce CIPN. Evidence suggests cryotherapy, such as frozen gloves or socks as a promising modality to reduce the incidence and severity of CIPN. Early implementation of cryotherapy can reduce treatment delays, improve adherence, and minimize long-term neurologic complications. While current findings are compelling, further studies are needed to strengthen the evidence and broaden significance across diverse patient populations.
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