Chemotherapy pain could be eased by jetlag drug, study suggests
The drug -- known as melatonin -- appeared to prevent pain caused by chemotherapy damage to nerves. It blocked harmful effects on nerve health, the study with rats shows. Experts say the findings help scientists understand more about ways to limit painful side effects of chemotherapy. Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen focused on a common condition known as chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain ( CINP ), which causes tingling and pain sensation to touch and cold temperatures that can be severe enough to cause patients to limit their chemotherapy treatment. The study showed that melatonin given prior to chemotherapy limited the damaging effect on nerve cells and the development of pain symptoms. In this study, melatonin did not alleviate pain when CINP had already developed, suggesting that its potential benefits could be as prevention rather than cure. Importantly, melatonin treatment did not interfere with the beneficial anticancer effects of chemot...