High-concentration Capsaicin Patch for the Prevention of Paclitaxel-induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, serious side effect of drugs used to treat cancer, such as taxanes. CIPN affects up to 80% of people receiving chemotherapy cancer treatment, and the incidence of CIPN is expected to increase as cancer survival increases. CIPN can cause sensory loss, neuropathic (nerve-related) pain, gait instability (problems with balance), and fine motor impairment. These symptoms can often continue for years after treatment is completed. These symptoms may also cause doctors to lower or stop chemotherapy, which may affect the outcomes of cancer treatment. CIPN is a leading cause of poor quality of life for millions of cancer survivors.

Despite how common and serious CIPN is, there are no FDA-approved preventive therapies for CIPN. The high-concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP, 8%) is an FDA-approved topical therapy for peripheral neuropathic pain that acts by prolonged activation and reversible "defunctionalization" of nerve cells called Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-expressing sensory neurons. TRPV1 plays an important role in how pain is felt by acting as a receptor on sensory neurons. This means that it detects and relays painful stimuli to the central nervous system. Damaging TRPV1 by using the topical HCCP patch leads to temporary relief without permanent nerve injury or systemic side effects. HCCP has demonstrated clinical efficacy in treating established CIPN; however, its use as a preventive intervention has not been reported. Preclinical and translational data indicate that early modulation of TRPV1-calcium signaling may prevent maladaptive neuronal hyperexcitability and epigenetic changes that underlie chronic neuropathy. Thus, repurposing HCCP to preemptively modulate this pathway represents a novel, mechanism-based opportunity to prevent CIPN before irreversible neurodegeneration occurs.

This project directly addresses a high-impact unmet need by testing whether pretreatment with HCCP reduces the incidence and severity of CIPN. By integrating a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with multimodal neurophysiological, participant-reported, and molecular assessments, this work will generate rigorous clinical and mechanistic evidence supporting a scalable, non-invasive, and rapidly translatable prevention strategy. If successful, these findings will shift the CIPN management paradigm from reactive symptom control to proactive prevention, improving treatment adherence, functional outcomes, and survivorship quality.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult participants (ages 18-65 years old)
• Eligible participants must have intact skin in the areas to be treated (hands and feet)
• Participants must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion criteria

• Participants with pre-existing peripheral neuropathy, concurrent use of other neurotoxic medications, palliative-intent chemotherapy, pregnancy, inability to provide informed consent or participate in follow-up visits, or any contraindications listed in the HCCP Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)8 will be excluded.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women are excluded from this study because Paclitaxel is a chemotherapy agent with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects.
• HIV-positive participants will not be excluded unless the participant has an established peripheral neuropathy related to HIV or its treatment. HIV testing is not required for this study.