Two Cleavland Clinics Are Awarded Grants To Research Neuropathy Pain Stemming From Cancer Treatments

Two Cleveland Clinics have been awarded grants to study the respectability of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy on patients. Cancer research is vital, especially related to treatment, but what about the research of side effects? For so many people who go through treatment, that is obviously life-saving; they need to know any symptoms that might result from it. This is how we allow patients to make educated decisions. Alternative research to understand what may happen as a result of treatment is imperitave. That’s why stories of research being conducted that allow for patients to have information about their situation are so great.

Research of Side Effects Could Help Cancer Patients Be More Informed

So here’s what this is all about. Two Cleveland Clinics awarded this grant will be able to identify the biomarkers that would help medical professionals to know which patients might be more susceptible to developing peripheral-neuropathy as a result of chemotherapy. According to the CDC, cancer diagnoses are on the rise. The CDC has predicted that between 2010-2020, cancer diagnoses would go up by 24% among men and 21% among women. Whether or not a patient receives chemotherapy as a treatment depends on the type of cancer, and stage of progression.

There are various opinions on what percentage of patients develop some level of peripheral neuropathy. With the Journal of Hematology-Oncology Pharmacy making the case in their study that up to 70% of patients may develop some level of this side effect from chemo. This can happen and progress anywhere from 2 to 6 months after treatment. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society says that between 10-20% of Cancer patients experience this side effect.

Here’s What Will Happen From This Research

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, an agency of the NIH awarded this grant to lead researchers Daniel Rotroff, Ph.D. He is with the department of quantitative health sciences, and Joseph Foss, MD of the Anesthesiology Institute. According to their recent research, 40% of patients will develop this side effect of peripheral neuropathy, which is obviously alarming. The research will include collecting clinical data on as well as blood samples from breast cancer patients being treated by taxines (which is a chemical compound available in certain types of chemotherapy) at different stages. Researchers will examine the genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic characteristics of those patients who develop this pain, as well as those who don’t.

Researchers will also use machine learning to develop key algorithms that will develop the capability to see which patients may be most likely to develop this side effect.

Dr. Rotroff spoke on this research important, saying:

The ultimate utility of our study findings, we hope, will be to help physicians deliver more personalized therapies to patients living with cancer, and to improve patients’ quality of life during and after treatment.”

Research on Side Effects & Cancer Treatments Can Improve Quality of Life

GrantWatch is excited to hear stories like this about awards that look to improve patient and medical research knowledge. When researchers can apply for and win awarded grants for these purposes, it helps all of us. One such grant we have listed on our website is the SWOG/Hope Foundation Impact Award, which awards grants to nonprofits and agencies for Early-Stage Cancer Research Projects. Check out our Medical Grants & Health Grants category for even more relevant grant listings!