Prevention Of Radiation Dermatitis In Patients Research Articles

Topical non-steroidal agents for the prevention of radiation dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Radiation dermatitis (RD) is a common side effect of radiation therapy, affecting a majority of breast and head and neck cancer patients with a negative impact on quality of life. Currently, no consensus exists regarding the prevention of RD. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases (1946 to December 2022) were searched using PRISMA guidelines to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the use of topical non-steroidal agents in the prevention of RD in patients undergoing radiotherapy. A total of six RCTs were included, comprising 627 patients. Among the topical non-steroidal agents analyzed, only the use of Biafine® in breast cancer patients was significant in preventing grade 4 and 3 + RD as classified by the Radiation Therapy Oncology group (RTOG) scale (OR = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.63, p = 0.02, and OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.03-0.41, p < 0.01, respectively). The remaining agents (trolamine alone and hyaluronic acid/hyaluronan) did not significantly prevent the occurrence of RD. The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that Biafine® can prevent grade 3 + RD in breast cancer patients. The use of trolamine and hyaluronic acid does not significantly affect the incidence of RD.

Radiation Dermatitis: A Prevention Protocol for Patients With Breast Cancer.

Patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy can experience dermatologic adverse events. Oncology nurses can advocate for radiation dermatitis (RD) prophylaxis to minimize dermatologic adverse events. This quality improvement project was conducted to evaluate the effect of implementing an RD prevention protocol. The objectives of this study were to (a) improve clinicians' knowledge of screening, assessment, and prevention of RD in patients with breast cancer and (b) decrease the incidence of RD by 10% at a tertiary care cancer center. Center-wide standards of care were created and implemented. A retrospective chart analysis was performed before and after protocol implementation. An education session was used to analyze protocol effectiveness. Surveys completed by nurses (N = 11) before and after the education session demonstrated a significant increase in overall confidence in assessing RD. Statistically significant increases were noted in using topical steroids for prophylaxis.