FAU study: Tiny worm offers clues to combat chemotherapy neurotoxicity
Chemotherapy remains one of the most powerful tools in the fight against cancer, yet it often comes with significant long-term side effects that can dramatically affect patients’ quality of life. Among the most debilitating is Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, which impacts both the central and peripheral nervous systems and affects up to 85% of cancer patients and survivors.
Docetaxel is a chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells by disrupting microtubules, structures essential for cell division. However, microtubules are also critical for nerve function, so docetaxel can damage nerve endings, axons and mitochondria, causing neuropathic symptoms such as ...