Review Article

The Impact of Peripheral Cooling on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: An Integrative Review

Bethany G. Sphar, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AOCNP®, Christi Bowe, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, NPD-BC, CPHQ, and Joyce E. Dains, DrPH, JD, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP

From The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

Authors’ disclosures of conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

Correspondence to: Bethany G. Sphar, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AOCNP®, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: bgsphar@mdanderson.org

ABSTRACT

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a prevalent, potentially long-lasting side effect of select chemotherapies. It contributes to suboptimal chemotherapy dosing, and its symptoms negatively impact patients’ quality of life. To date, interventions to effectively prevent this toxicity have not been established, and interventions to treat CIPN have produced only modest results. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the impact of regional cooling applied to distal extremities on the severity of CIPN. A literature review was performed using SCOPUS and PubMed databases. The search was not restricted by date but was restricted to English language. Forty-two articles were identified in the search, and six were included in the review after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results related to protective effects from peripheral cooling against CIPN were variable. Four out of six studies demonstrated benefit of peripheral cooling in reducing the severity of CIPN. There was evidence to suggest that applying a relatively greater degree of cooling compared with a lesser degree may confer benefit in reducing the severity of CIPN. Both direct application of cooling and use of compression to achieve fingertip cooling showed potential benefit.

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