Cold Water Foot Baths to Prevent Nerve Damage From Cancer Treatment

This study is testing whether soaking your feet in cold water during paclitaxel chemotherapy can help prevent a common side effect called peripheral neuropathy—nerve damage that causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet. Researchers will compare two groups: one using cold salt water foot baths and another using cold plain water foot baths, against a control group receiving standard care. The goal is to see if either type of foot bath can reduce your risk of developing this painful nerve damage.

Paclitaxel is an effective cancer-fighting drug, but it frequently causes peripheral neuropathy as a side effect, which can be painful and interfere with daily life. Currently, there is no proven way to prevent this damage, so researchers are testing whether simple cold water foot baths might help protect patients from developing this complication.