Scottish Daily Mail

Balm could help cancer victims save their nails

- By Fiona MacRae Science Editor

A SIMPLE nail balm that could greatly improve the quality of life of cancer patients is being tested.

Formulated by Robert Thomas, a cancer doctor at Addenbrook­e’s Hospital in Cambridge, it contains natural oils and plant extracts believed to be offer protection against the ravages of chemothera­py.

Just as powerful cancer drugs can make hair fall out, they can also make nails fall off. Other symptoms include ridges, blackening and foul-smelling pus, leaving those affected by onycholysi­s too embarrasse­d to socialise or go to work.

Even simple tasks, such as picking up or cuddling their children, can be painful.

Professor Thomas said that overall, emotional toll is on a par with hair loss but it is largely ignored. Men and women are both affected, and taxotere – one of the most common, breast, prostate and lung cancer drugs – is the worst offender.

Some petroleum jelly-based balms are available but there is no evidence that they work.

Determined to help patients, the professor has come up with his own recipe for a balm.

Four natural oils – cocoa butter, olive oil, shea butter and beeswax – are included to moisturise the nail and underlying nail bed.

And it is hoped that African sage, eucalyptus, lavender and wintergree­n, a plant that contains an aspirin-like chemical, will have antibacter­ial and antifungal effects. Importantl­y, they are also rich in chemicals called polyphenol­s which might protect the nails against the drugs.

Thirty chemothera­py patients will massage the balm into their hands twice a day and the results will be compared with a group using a petroleum jelly cream.

They will all be asked about their quality of life and photos of their nails will be assessed by dermatolog­ists who don’t know which cream has been used.

The British Associatio­n of Dermatolog­ists said: ‘People, including GPs and nurses, can be incredibly dismissive about nail problems. A treatment that works would be brilliant.’

In the meantime, clear nail varnish can help keep the nails strong and gloves will protect them from extra damage.

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