Nerve damage is a very common side effect of many current cancer treatments, limiting the amount of treatment that patients can receive and often resulting in irreversible damage, leaving patients with life-long neurological symptoms including pain, numbness, weakness and difficulty walking. The mechanisms underlying this nerve damage are not understood and there are currently no established treatments or preventative strategies. This project aims to investigate possible strategies for protecting nerves from the toxic effects of chemotherapy using nerve excitability testing to monitor the nerves. A potential neuroprotective treatment strategy being explored is riluzole.
