Top Line: Are there guidelines for preventing and managing skin toxicity from radiation therapy?
The Study: We’ve seen randomized trials showing that things like mometasone and porous silicone skin dressings help prevent radiation skin toxicity, but it would be nice if there was a comprehensive source of recommendations. Enter the MASCC clinical practice guidelines, which are international consensus recommendations for preventing and managing skin toxicity. A panel of 42 experts reviewed the existing evidence for dozens of interventions. When it came to preventive measures, there was consensus (≥75% would recommend it) for 6 different interventions. These included: olive oil, photobiomodulation with laser therapy (breast cancer), porous silicone dressing (breast cancer), polyurethane film, mometasone, and betamethasone. Interestingly, there was less consensus for specific interventions to manage dermatitis with the only recommended intervention being Mepilex Lite dressing. Some interventions were recommended by the majority, but didn’t quite reach consensus. For prevention, these included Mepitel for head and neck cancer, tumeric-based products, silymarin-based products, an enzyme mixture of papain, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, sulfadiazine silver. For management these included topical doxepin and hydroactive colloid gel and Mepitel film.
TBL: The MASCC consensus guidelines outline evidence-based interventions that are effective in preventing and managing radiation dermatitis. | Behroozian, Lancet Oncol 2023
The Study: We’ve seen randomized trials showing that things like mometasone and porous silicone skin dressings help prevent radiation skin toxicity, but it would be nice if there was a comprehensive source of recommendations. Enter the MASCC clinical practice guidelines, which are international consensus recommendations for preventing and managing skin toxicity. A panel of 42 experts reviewed the existing evidence for dozens of interventions. When it came to preventive measures, there was consensus (≥75% would recommend it) for 6 different interventions. These included: olive oil, photobiomodulation with laser therapy (breast cancer), porous silicone dressing (breast cancer), polyurethane film, mometasone, and betamethasone. Interestingly, there was less consensus for specific interventions to manage dermatitis with the only recommended intervention being Mepilex Lite dressing. Some interventions were recommended by the majority, but didn’t quite reach consensus. For prevention, these included Mepitel for head and neck cancer, tumeric-based products, silymarin-based products, an enzyme mixture of papain, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, sulfadiazine silver. For management these included topical doxepin and hydroactive colloid gel and Mepitel film.
TBL: The MASCC consensus guidelines outline evidence-based interventions that are effective in preventing and managing radiation dermatitis. | Behroozian, Lancet Oncol 2023