Effect of Heparinoid Moisturizer on Quality of Life in Patients with Acute Radiation Skin Damage Following Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy After Breast-Conserving Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Background

With few research reports on the effects of moisturizer use for dry skin associated with radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery on patient quality of life (QOL), we conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate this effect.

Methods

Patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive either heparinoid moisturizer (Group M) or no treatment (Group C). Group M was instructed to apply heparinoid moisturizer during 3 weeks of hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation with or without boost until 4 weeks after completion of irradiation. Skin-related QOL was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) for 7 weeks. The primary endpoint was total DLQI score at 4 weeks after the start date.

Results

In total, 35 patients in Group M and 37 patients in Group C were analyzed. The DLQI total score (2.06 ± 2.17: mean ± SD) at 4 weeks in Group M was slightly lower than in Group C (2.16 ± 2.13) but with no significant difference (p = 0.894). The “Symptoms and feelings” subscore indicated significant worsening at 3 weeks and maintained until 7 weeks in Group C. There was no significant change for this subscore during radiotherapy in Group M, and it significantly increased after radiotherapy (4–5 weeks) and returned to baseline in 7 weeks. The period of subscore worsening was shorter in Group M than in Group C.

Conclusion

Concomitant and extended use of heparinoid moisturizer with radiation therapy may improve the QOL of breast cancer patients impaired by dry skin for patients with breast cancer.

Keywords:

• breast cancer
• radiation dermatitis
• asteatosis
• heparinoid moisturizer
• skin-related quality of life

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express our gratitude to all patients registered in this trial. We are also grateful to Chiori Haga for data collection, and to Martin Guppy PhD for editorial support. This research was a collaborative research and funded by Maruho Co., Ltd. Osaka, Japan. The abstract of this paper was presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 61st Annual Meeting as a poster presentation with interim findings. The poster’s abstract was published in Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2019; 105(1) Supplement, 1 September 2019, Page E56: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2019.06.2390].

Disclosure

Jiro Kawamori, Ryoko Ito and Kenji Sekiguchi received lecture fees from Maruho Co., Ltd. Osaka, Japan. Hideko Yamauchi reports grants from Eiken Kagaku, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.