Skin Toxicities and Practices of Patients Receiving Radiotherapy.

Background: The identification of skin toxicities due to radiotherapy in cancer patients is important in planning strategies to eliminate or reduce the severity of potential skin reactions. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of skin toxicity in patients receiving radiotherapy and to determine the evidence-based practices of patients in dealing with skin toxicity. Methods: The study sample consisted of 84 patients treated between December 2016 and May 2017 in the Department of Radiation Oncology at a university hospital. Skin toxicity was categorized using the Classification of Skin Reactions Associated with Radiation Therapy Form, which was developed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). Data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare quantitative variables; chi-square test was used for categorical variables. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the patients who had received radiotherapy, 70.2% (n = 59) had an acute skin reaction, RTOG Grade-1 skin reactions being the most frequent(44%, n = 37). The degree of RTOG skin toxicity was found to increase as the RT dose increased. Evidence-based applications such as aloe vera (8.3%, n = 7), using high-factor sunscreen for sun exposure (16.7%, n = 14), and moisturizing the skin (32.1%, n = 27) were not frequent. The evidence-based practice score of the Grade-1 group (17.00 ± 2.53) was higher than that of the Grade-0 group (12.6 ± 5.44) or Grade 2 and above (14.32 ± 4.25). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that skin toxicity is quite prevalent among RT patients. Randomized clinical trials are required to propose solutions to this problem. Additionally, these findings support the importance of the patient training for the prevention of skin toxicities and the necessity of taking precautions after the RT treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]