• Seda Kurt and Gulbeyaz Can.
• Trakya University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Nursing, Edirne, Turkey. Electronic address: sedakurt81@gmail.com.
• Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2018 Feb 1; 32: 12-19.

PurposeThe current experimental study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of reflexology on the management of symptoms and functions of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in cancer patients.MethodThis study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial in 60 patients (30 experimental and 30 control patients) who had chemotherapy-induced Grade II-IV peripheral neuropathy complaints from July 2013 to November 2015. Data were collected using the patient identification form, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (EORTC-CIPN-20) form, and BPI (used for related chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms).ResultsThe majority of the patients were being treated for gastrointestinal or breast cancer and were primarily receiving Eloxatine- or taxane-based treatment. It was found that reflexology applications did not lead to differences in either group in terms of peripheral neuropathy severity and incidence (p > 0.05) and only led to improvement in sensory functions in the experimental group (p < 0.05).ConclusionsIt was determined that reflexology is not an effective method in the management of patients' activity levels, walking ability etc. and motor, autonomic functions related CIPN, but reflexology is effective method in the management of patients' sensory functions related CIPN. Key Words: Peripheral neuropathy, reflexology, chemotherapy, EORTC QLQ-CIPN-20, BPI.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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