Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms (CIPN): a preliminary case-control study.
Tania Tonezzer, Leonardo Affonso Massabki Caffaro, Katiuscia Rosette Scasni Menon and 4 others
PMID 28533610WHAT IT FOUND
Active TENS did not reduce numbness, tingling, or interference with daily life more than placebo TENS over 45 days in 24 cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
This small randomized trial does not support active TENS as an add-on.
Key findings
01In 24 patients, active TENS and placebo TENS showed no significant difference in symptom frequency (p=0.5906) or interference with daily activities (p=0.8565).
02Median pain VAS scores were 0.0 in both groups at each listed assessment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 24 patients were included, so the trial may miss a small or moderate difference between active and placebo TENS. The paper does not report dropouts or how many patients completed all assessments. Patients were still receiving paclitaxel or oxaliplatin chemotherapy, and some had surgery, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, other medications, or acupuncture, so changes cannot be assigned to TENS alone. The authors did not follow patients throughout chemotherapy and did not evaluate other cancer types or neurotoxic drugs. The primary outcome is not clearly labelled.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that TENS prevents worsening of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. The active and placebo groups were similar, and patients were still receiving paclitaxel or oxaliplatin chemotherapy, with some also having surgery, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, other medications, or acupuncture, so the effect of TENS alone cannot be separated.