Treating peripheral neuropathy

If symptoms appear, the only known way to stop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy from getting worse is to 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 is treated, but sometimes the damage is 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 speaking up about your symptoms could mean that more of the nerve is damaged and symptoms that could be reversed end up becoming permanent. If your doctor recommends pausing or stopping the chemotherapy, they will talk to you about other ways to treat the cancer.

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