Our team is interested in improving the management of pain and neurological side effects caused by chemotherapy, such as numbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the hands and feet. These symptoms can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, limiting their ability to perform daily activities and causing emotional distress. These symptoms may also lead to a reduction in doses or even cessation of treatment, thereby compromising survival. Unfortunately, available treatments are not always effective and may pose risks of drug abuse or toxicity. This project aims to identify genetic variations and other factors that could make some people more vulnerable to these neurological effects. Our objective is to develop a tool for predicting the appearance of this pain, based on genetics, in order to establish an early diagnosis and close monitoring. This personalized medicine based on genomics will improve the quality of life of cancer patients and reduce additional costs for health care establishments.
User: Julie Lemieux (CHU de Québec)