In one music festival, where I think I was performing the G minor prelude Opus 23 no 5 Rachmaninov, the military one, the adjudicator said it was a mistake to try and use the 4th finger too much with a smaller hand. This piece has octaves, but it would seem daft in this particular run of octaves not to use the 4th. Perhaps hewas talking about someone else, I can't recall in the fog of time.
But I do think that in the Chopin octave etude I'd use the 5th as much as possible (yet to learn this one). I have smallish hands for a male but can squeeze 10 notes.
I think it is worth doing exercises to widen the palm and get one or two extra millimeters out of it - at least! PW