Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37018872›Full record

Trial reportESMO open2023

A randomized controlled trial of hand/foot-cooling by hilotherapy to prevent oxaliplatin-related peripheral neuropathy in patients with malignancies of the digestive system.

A Coolbrandt, H Tobback, R Govaerts, L Vandezande, M Vinckx, A Laenen, H Wildiers, C Verslype, J Dekervel, F Van Herpe and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in ESMO open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Regional limb cooling for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced toxicities: a narrative review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

A CoolbrandtDepartment of Oncology Nursing, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: annemarie.coolbrandt@uzleuven.be.
H TobbackDepartment of Oncology Nursing, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
R GovaertsDepartment of Oncology Nursing, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
L VandezandeDepartment of Oncology Nursing, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
M VinckxDepartment of Oncology Nursing, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
A LaenenInteruniversity Centre for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
H WildiersDepartment of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
C VerslypeDepartment of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
J DekervelDepartment of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
F Van HerpeDepartment of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
E Van CutsemDepartment of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
KU Leuven · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBoth acute and chronic symptoms of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) affect patients' treatment dose and duration as well as quality-of-life. Hand/foot-cooling has been shown to reduce taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy but there is unclear evidence in the setting of oxaliplatin. PATIENTS AND

methodsIn a monocentric, open-label phase II trial, patients with malignancies of the digestive system receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either continuous cooling of hands and feet using hilotherapy at 11°C during oxaliplatin infusion compared with usual care (no cooling). The primary endpoint was grade ≥2 neuropathy-free rate in 12 weeks after initiation of chemotherapy. Secondary endpoints included OIPN-related treatment alterations, acute OIPN symptoms and perceived comfort of the intervention.

resultsThe intention-to-treat population included 39 patients in the hilotherapy group and 38 in the control group. The grade ≥2 neuropathy-free rate at 12 weeks was 100% in the experimental group versus 80.5% in the control group (P = 0.006). This effect was persistent at 24 weeks (66.0% versus 49.2%, respectively) (P = 0.039). Next, treatment alterations-free rate at week 12 was 93.5% in the hilotherapy group compared with 83.3% in the control group (P = 0.131). Patients in the hilotherapy group experienced significantly less acute OIPN symptoms of numbness or tingling [odds ratio (OR) 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02-0.11, P < 0.0001], pain (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.02-0.15, P < 0.0001) and/or cold sensitivity (OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.05, P < 0.0001) in fingers or toes as well as less pharyngeal cold sensitivity (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05-0.42, P = 0.0005). The majority of patients in the hilotherapy group rated the intervention as neutral, rather comfortable or very comfortable.

conclusionsIn this first study on hand/foot-cooling in oxaliplatin alone, hilotherapy significantly reduced the incidence of grade ≥2 OIPN at 12 and 24 weeks. Hilotherapy also reduced acute OIPN symptoms and was generally well tolerated.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsPeripheral Nervous System DiseasesDigestive SystemHumansOxaliplatinPainOxaliplatincoolinghilotherapyoxaliplatinperipheral neuropathysupportive care

Identifiers

PMID37018872
PMCPMC10163151
OpenAlexW4362576153

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.