Can a supplement help prevent nerve damage from colorectal cancer chemotherapy?

This trial is testing whether Coenzyme Q10, a natural supplement, can help prevent a common side effect of oxaliplatin chemotherapy called peripheral neuropathy — which causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet. Half of participants will receive standard chemotherapy alone, while the other half will also take 100 mg of Coenzyme Q10 every day. Researchers believe this medication may protect nerves from damage caused by the chemotherapy drugs.

Oxaliplatin is an effective chemotherapy drug for colorectal cancer, but it frequently damages nerves in the hands and feet, causing pain and numbness that can be severe enough to make patients stop treatment. This medication is being tested because laboratory studies suggest it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that might protect nerves from this kind of damage.