Radiation-induced skin reactions: mechanism and treatment

Abstract

Radiotherapy (RT) is a major treatment for malignant tumors. The latest data show that >70% of patients with malignant tumors need RT at different periods. Skin changes can be experienced by up to 95% of patients who underwent RT. Inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) have been shown to be generally associated with radiation-induced skin reactions (RISRs). Inflammatory response and OS interact and promote each other during RISRs. Severe skin reactions often have a great impact on the progress of RT. The treatment of RISRs is particularly critical because advanced RT technology can also lead to skin reactions. RISRs are classified into acute and chronic reactions. The treatment methods for acute RISRs include steroid treatment, creams, ointments, and hydrocolloid dressings, depending on the reaction grading. Chronic RISRs includes chronic ulcerations, telangiectasias, and fibrosis of the skin, and advanced treatments such as mesenchymal stem cells, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, superoxide dismutase, and low-intensity laser therapy can be considered. Here, we review and summarize the important mechanisms that cause RISRs as well as the standard and advanced treatments for RISRs.

Cutaneous Disorders of the Breast

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Significance of Pretreatment Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of Pediatrics: A Multicenter Study

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A technique to reduce skin toxicity in radiotherapy treatment planning for esophageal cancer

“…The mild symptoms include local erythema, dryness, and desquamation, and the severe symptoms will be local skin pain, edema and exudates, moist desquamation and so on . Radiation‐induced skin reactions occur as a result of damage to the basal cell layer of the skin and resulting in an imbalance between the normal production of cells in this layer and the destruction of cells at the skin surface . Although skin toxicity is inevitable in the process of radiotherapy, the dose to skin can be reduced as much as possible through ideal treatment planning, so as to reduce the degree of skin injury during radiotherapy.…”