Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)

Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of many forms of chemotherapy having a negative impact on the quality of life for cancer survivors due to numbness, decreased sensation, pain (of various intensities in the extremities), gait/balance problems, and difficulty with fine motor skills of the hands and fingers.To date, there are no preventive modalities to mitigate CIPN development.When CIPN becomes intolerable, optimal doses of chemotherapy have to be reduced or discontinued, which may affect a patient's overall survival. Intraneural facilitation (INF) is a technique developed by physical therapists at Loma Linda University after careful study of the structure, pathophysiology and biomechanics of peripheral nerves. The focus of INF is restoration of circulation to an ischemic nerve. INF has been offered to subjects receiving treatment at LLUCC with anecdotal success. The purpose of this study is to evaluate INF as a treatment modality under the rigor of scientific inquiry to determine its effectiveness as a viable treatment option for breast cancer patients with CIPN.