Does radiotherapy make neuropathy worse?

Hi @portsu, I'm hoping other members who have had radiotherapy will be able to share some advice or suggestions for you. I found a few articles that may shed some more light on the subject.

How does peripheral neuropathy affect cancer patients?
-- https://www.cancercenter.com/integrative-care/peripheral-neuropathy

Radiation-induced neuropathic pain successfully treated with systemic lidocaine administration
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859894/

@portsu, I added your discussion to the Cancer: Managing Symptoms group as well (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/cancer-managing-symptoms/). I'm tagging @lauries and @lorirenee1, who have both mentioned radiation-induced neuropathy. Radiation causing neuropathy is less common than chemo-induced neuropathy, but it does happen.

Where did you have radiation (what part of the body)? For what type of cancer? Did you also have chemotherapy?

Hi tha for this. I'm here on behalf of my dad who has prostate cancer and peripheral neuropathy. The radiotherapy seems to have made his neuropathy worse. I was wondering what if anything can help?

I was treated for aggressive prostate cancer starting in feb 2021 with treatment consisting of a relative new drug called orgovyx that lowered my testosterone to near 0. I also received 45 individual radiation treatments over a nine week timeframe. In mid 2023 I started to have balance issues which forced me to finally retire at the age of 75. I initially was told that my knee replacements that I had in 2013-2014 may be the issue. So after a full year of finally seeing two knee surgeons, both agreed that my knees were fine. Once they learned that I had radiation treatments for my cancer, they ordered testing for my nerves and blood flow. Blood flow was determined to be fine however the EMS test found that I had no nerve response in both legs below the knees. They termed this as Radiation induced periphile (sp) neuropathy. They both suggested I meet with a neurologist as well as the radiation doctor. I met twice with the neurologist with in my opinion no results. I finally met with the radiologist that designed my cancer treatment. Vey discouraging as she stated very emphatically that the radiation treatments could not cause the neuropathy. She indicated that in her opinion my knee replacement surgeries over 12 years ago was the cause. I tried to show her studies that showed that radiation can cause the neuropathy even years later. She refused to even consider them and stated that the studies were irrelevant. She actually told me multiple times that she really didn’t really care about the neuropathy since my cancer was in remission. I had my 53 year old daughter with me who couldn’t believe a doctor would say that. After hearing this for the fourth time I just got up, told her I would find another radiologist and left. I am currently working on Filing a formal complaint with her organization. Has anyone had any luck with overcoming or lessening the neuropathy.