BACKGROUND Women receiving radiation to the breast will likely be recommended to use a topical cream to minimize and delay the development of radiation dermatitis. Although many topical products are commercially available and have been tested for safety and efficacy, few studies have compared various products to one another for superiority and cost effectiveness. OBJECTIVES The purpose of thi...

Acute radiation dermatitis is a frequent adverse effect in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy, but there are only a small number of studies providing evidence-based interventions for this clinical condition. Adlay is a cereal crop that has been previously shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this study, we seek to evaluate the effectiveness of oral pro...

Dermatitis is a distressing symptom of radiation therapy, and current care guidelines often lack evidence. Using an evidence-based practice (EBP) model, a multidisciplinary group in an academic medical center reviewed the literature to create departmental patient education materials related to skin care that were grounded in evidence. Recommendations not supported by evidence from randomized, c...

Radiation dermatitis is one of the most common acute toxicities of both radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. Many clinical trials have evaluated the level of toxicity using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events ver. 4.03. This criterion accounts for severity in a single sentence only, and no visual classification guide has been available. Thus, there is a risk of subjective interpre...

M odern radiotherapy techniques for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anus have led to a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of skin toxicity. However, grade 4 radiation dermatitis remains a difficult complication of radiation therapy for malignancies located in skin folds, a phenomenon known as the ‘‘bolus effect.’’ We describe a case of grade 4 radiation de...

OBJECTIVE Proton therapy can result in clinically significant radiation dermatitis. In some clinical scenarios, such as lung or breast cancer, the risk of severe radiation dermatitis may limit beam arrangement and prescription doses. Patients undergoing proton therapy for prostate cancer commonly develop mild radiation dermatitis. Herein, we report the outcomes of two prostate cancer patients w...

While the addition of cetuximab to radiotherapy improves clinical outcomes in locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell cancers, there are a small number of reports of severe radiation dermatitis occurring with this therapeutic combination. We present the case of a 69 year old male who developed severe radiation dermatitis following treatment with cetuximab and radiotherapy for a loco...

BACKGROUND Radiation dermatitis occurs to some degree in most patients receiving radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who receive radiotherapy in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, such as cetuximab, may develop a characteristic acne-like rash in addition to dermatitis. DESIGN An adviso...