Simple gel may shield cancer patients from painful side effect

This study looked at whether applying a diclofenac gel (a common anti-inflammatory) to the hands and feet can prevent or delay hand-foot syndrome—a painful skin reaction—in people with colorectal or stomach cancer taking the chemotherapy drug capecitabine. About 150 patients were followed at two cancer centers in Turkey. The goal was to see if the gel reduces the number of patients who develop severe skin problems and helps them stay on their cancer treatment longer.