Effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions on improving quality of life, total neuropathy score, strength and reducing pain in cancer survivors suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy – a systematic review

Abstract

Background

Cancer treatment frequently results in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), which is a side effect that is now neither properly preventable nor treatable. Physical therapy has been studied in this patient population and is frequently utilised for neurological rehabilitation after damage.

Purpose

This study set out to thoroughly review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of physical therapy for patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Data Sources

From their beginning in January 2017 to January 2023, EMBASE, PubMed, Medline, PEDro, and the Cochrane Library were searched for pertinent RCTs. Additionally, manual search techniques were applied.

Study Selection

On the basis of the inclusion criteria, two reviewers independently determined the study’s eligibility.

Data Extraction

Reviewers evaluated the quality of the studies and took note of their methodologies, designs, interventions, outcomes, and conclusions.

Data Synthesis

Ten RCTs met all inclusion criteria.

Limitations

Overall results are constrained by the variety of interventions and the small sample sizes of the included studies, which also indicate the need for more studies.

Conclusions

Physical therapy has additional benefits for enhancing the quality of life of patients with peripheral neuropathy brought on by chemotherapy.

Keywords:

• Physiotherapy
• chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
• quality of life
• exercises

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly accessed and available in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Pedro