Study of Patterns of Cutaneous Manifestations in Patients Receiving Radiotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Main Article Content

Rashmi Gudur
Niharika Prabhu
Anand Gudur
Varsha Jamale

Abstract

Background and objectives: Radiation therapy is associated with various cutaneous manifestations which may have a severe impact on the quality of life as well as cancer treatment. Hence, it is important to identify the adverse reactions to radiation therapy for assessment and management of the severity of disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the spectrum of cutaneous adversities in patients undergoing radiotherapy.


Materials and Method: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 97 patients with internal malignancies, for approximately 2 years. Clinical history of the patients was collected during the study. The cutaneous features of all the patients were studied clinically and relevant investigations such as potassium hydroxide examination, Tzanck test, Gram’s stained smear, hematological and biochemical investigations, skiagrams, venereal disease research laboratory test, and skin biopsy were conducted when required. In addition, radiation dosage, total radiation cycles, duration of treatment, and clinical diagnosis of radiation-induced skin changes were recorded. Chi-Square test was used to check the association between attributes. P value less than or equal to 0.05 was considered statistically significant.


Results: Grade 1 acute radiation dermatitis was found in majority of the subjects. Statistically significant associations between radiotherapy-induced cutaneous adverse effects and gender (p<0.004), radiotherapy-induced side effects and involved site of primary underlying malignancy (p=0.015), and radiotherapy cycles and cutaneous adverse effects (p=0.001) were observed Maximum cases of adverse effects were observed for doses between 3001 cGy and 4000 cGy with a. significant association between the side effects and  dosages (p=0.002).


Conclusion: Acute radiation dermatitis was the most common side effect of definitive radiotherapy in this study. Therefore, it necessitates active intervention by a multidisciplinary group to manage both the acute and late effects of radiotherapy on the skin and subcutaneous tissues.

Article Details

How to Cite
Gudur, R. ., Prabhu, N. ., Gudur, A. ., & Jamale, V. . (2023). Study of Patterns of Cutaneous Manifestations in Patients Receiving Radiotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Coastal Life Medicine, 11(1), 1246–1256. Retrieved from https://www.jclmm.com/index.php/journal/article/view/502
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