Cooling and compression sleeves to prevent nerve damage from breast cancer chemotherapy

This trial is testing whether wearing special cooling and compression sleeves on your hands and feet during paclitaxel chemotherapy can prevent nerve damage — a common and sometimes long-lasting side effect of this important cancer treatment. About 80–97% of people treated with this medication experience nerve problems like numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness, especially in their hands and feet. This study wants to see if keeping your hands and feet cool and compressed during treatment can reduce or prevent these symptoms.

Nerve damage from chemotherapy is the main reason doctors sometimes have to delay treatment, reduce doses, or stop treatment entirely — which can affect how well the cancer is controlled. The medication works well against cancer, but this side effect can last for months or even years and significantly impact quality of life. Right now, there are no proven ways to prevent this complication, so researchers are urgently testing new prevention strategies.