Cancer and Neuropathy
The most common complication of cancer is neuropathy or damage of nerves. Studies show that platinum-based drugs that are used in chemotherapy to kill cancer cells can cause pain, burning sensation and numbness in the patient’s hands and feet. The cancer patient’s condition can also cause neuropathy such as the patient’s tumor and excessive vomiting.
A cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy can experience one of these two kinds of neuropathy: acute neuropathy or chronic neuropathy. Acute neuropathy happens only for a short time. Pain if felt for days after the chemotherapy treatment. But after a few days, the neuropathy goes away. Chronic neuropathy happens for a longer period of time and sometimes it doesn’t go away.
When a patient has a tumor and the tumor gets in contact with nerves, a neuropathy can also develop. The best solution is to take the tumor out by operation.
Another reason why patients with cancer develop neuropathy is because of their vomiting after a chemotherapy procedure. The vomiting of the patient causes them to lose a lot of vitamins that maintain healthy functioning of the nerves. Vitamin deficiency can develop into neuropathy.
It is important that a cancer patient learn about neuropathy before undergoing a chemotherapy treatment. For most parts, the doctor can take care of the management the neuropathy of cancer patients.