For many people with colorectal cancer, chemotherapy can be lifesaving. However, a common treatment can lead to a side effect that causes people to feel pain, numbness or pins and needles in their body at a single touch. This is called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, CIPN for short, and it can be one of the most difficult side effects a patient can experience.
While undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer, Jodie – Deputy Chair of the GI Cancer Institute’s Community Advisory Panel – experienced neuropathy as a side effect, mainly in her hands and feet. “Anything cold I touched, ate or drank felt awful, like the worst pins and needles you can imagine,” she recalls.
“At the time, I was still physically working full days running a café, so I was constantly in and out of fridges and freezers.
“You’d forget, and instinctively just go to grab something. Even going to drink a glass of tap water – the moment it touched my throat, it felt like everything just wanted to close up.
“Over time, the sensation would ease a little, but with each infusion it lasted longer. Even now, I still don’t have the same feeling in my fingers and toes.”
CIPN can be so debilitating that some people are forced to reduce their chemotherapy dose – potentially making treatment less effective. Others need to stop chemotherapy entirely. The OXTOX study is investigating whether an existing anti-inflammatory drug, currently used for other conditions like asthma, can be used to lessen CIPN for people.
If the trial is successful, it could mean that people can undergo more of their originally planned treatment without slowing it down or stopping.
Supportive care, which focuses on how to best support a patient and improve quality of life, can be just as vital as treatment in cancer care. OXTOX Study Chairs, Professors Haryana Dhillon and Janette Vardy, are hoping that the treatment could also reduce the impact of chemotherapy on people’s ability to function.
Professors Janette Vardy and Haryana Dhillon.
And excitingly, in July, we met our enrolment goal for the OXTOX trial, meaning that the study gets to benefit as many people as it possibly can.
“Without the support of the generous participants, we couldn’t do these trials. Their commitment to help us to help others is inspiring.”
Seven years ago, the OXTOX trial was awarded the prestigious Innovation Grant, which is funded by community fundraisers taking on a Gutsy Challenge and donations from our supporters.
“Funding for clinical trials research is difficult to obtain. It is even more difficult to obtain for supportive care clinical trials,” Haryana and Janette tell us.
“The OXTOX study would not have happened without the donations from so many people who believe in the mission of the GI Cancer Institute.
“We say a heartfelt thank you to all of the donors. Thank you for making this possible, and we look forward to sharing the results with you all in about 6 months’ time!”
Learn more about the OXTOX trial
This article was featured in The Digest, Issue 4, 2025.
Browse all articles from The Digest
Get our feature articles delivered to your inbox for free