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What is new when it comes to acute and chronic radiation-induced dermatitis in head and neck cancer patients?
Affiliations- Inpatient Department of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Oncohematology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland
open access
Abstract
Head and neck cancer is a serious clinical and social problem. Surgery and radiotherapy play the most important role in treatment and give the chance of cure. Optimal treatment of patients with head and neck cancer should provide for the maximum destruction of cancerous tissue, saving as much healthy tissue as possible. Despite this, due to radiotherapy still almost 90% of patients develop skin symptoms. It seems that the mechanism of radiodermatitis is quite clear, but studies assume that its pathogenesis is not fully understood and there is much to be clarified. Acute and chronic dermatitis caused by radiotherapy is usually diagnosed according to clinical criteria. It seems that it would be useful to have a photographic classification that would facilitate and unify the clinical evaluation. In this article we shall summarize the current knowledge about the mechanisms of formation, risk factors, clinical classifications and methods for the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic radiation dermatitis. We have included clinical photos that depict individual stages according to the clinical classification of RTOG.
Abstract
Head and neck cancer is a serious clinical and social problem. Surgery and radiotherapy play the most important role in treatment and give the chance of cure. Optimal treatment of patients with head and neck cancer should provide for the maximum destruction of cancerous tissue, saving as much healthy tissue as possible. Despite this, due to radiotherapy still almost 90% of patients develop skin symptoms. It seems that the mechanism of radiodermatitis is quite clear, but studies assume that its pathogenesis is not fully understood and there is much to be clarified. Acute and chronic dermatitis caused by radiotherapy is usually diagnosed according to clinical criteria. It seems that it would be useful to have a photographic classification that would facilitate and unify the clinical evaluation. In this article we shall summarize the current knowledge about the mechanisms of formation, risk factors, clinical classifications and methods for the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic radiation dermatitis. We have included clinical photos that depict individual stages according to the clinical classification of RTOG.
Keywords
acute and chronic radiation induced dermatitis
About this articleTitle
What is new when it comes to acute and chronic radiation-induced dermatitis in head and neck cancer patients?
Journal
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
9-15
Published online
2020-03-03
Page views
1594
Article views/downloads
966
DOI
Bibliographic record
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology 2020;70(1):9-15.
Keywords
acute and chronic radiation induced dermatitis
Authors
Aleksandra Dudek
Tomasz Rutkowski
Grażyna Kamińska-Winciorek
Krzysztof Składowski
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