Symptom Specific Services

Numbness and Tingling
• Will I experience numbness and tingling during cancer treatment?
• How can I better cope with nerve problems?

Will I experience numbness and tingling during cancer treatment?
Some anti-cancer drugs can affect the nerves in your hands and feet. One example of a condition that affects the nervous system is peripheral neuropathy, in which you feel tingling, burning, weakness, numbness, or pain in the hands or feet. Some cancer drugs can affect your muscles and make them weak, tired, or sore. Most of the time, these symptoms go away, although in some cases, it can take up to a year after your treatment ends for the symptoms to disappear.

Some nerve symptoms you might have include:

• Tingling “pins and needles”

• Burning “hot and cold”

• Weakness or numbness in your hands and/or feet

• Pain when walking

• Weak, sore, tired or achy muscles

• Loss of balance

• Clumsiness

• Difficulty picking up objects and buttoning clothing

• Shaking or trembling

• Walking problems

• Jaw pain

• Hearing loss

• Stomach pain

• Constipation

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How can I better cope with nerve problems?
• If your fingers are numb, be very careful when grasping objects that are sharp, hot or otherwise dangerous.

• If your sense of balance or muscle strength is affected, move carefully to avoid falls. Use handrails when you go up or down stairs and use bath mats in the bathtub or shower.

• Always wear shoes with rubber soles. If they do not help or are only partially helpful, ask for a referral to a podiatrist, who can evaluate your need for custom-made shoe inserts ("orthotics") or "off-the-shelf" inserts.

• Ask your doctor for pain medicine. He or she may also prescribe anticonvulsants (seizure medications) or small doses of antidepressant medications. Although these medications were developed for purposes other than your cancer-related symptoms, they have proven to be effective in addressing peripheral neuropathy because they block transmission along the nerve tracks that cause the pain or numbness. Since these types of medications are often the best treatments for cancer-related nerve problems, you should not allow their traditional use to discourage you from seeing if they can help your peripheral neuropathy.

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