Bacterial Decolonization beneficial for acute radiation dermatitis

 New Research found that bacterial decolonization is safe and more efficacious for reducing the effect of acute radiation dermatitis than the standard of care in patients undergoing treatment for cancer. The study results were published in the journal JAMA Oncology. 

Radiation therapy (RT) following breast-conserving cancer surgery lowers cancer-related mortality and recurrence. But acute radiation dermatitis (ARD) within weeks after starting radiotherapy like severe skin erythema, dryness, moist or dry desquamation, and/or ulceration, may interrupt radiotherapy. Literature shows that bacterial decolonization (BD) decreases the severity of acute radiation dermatitis (ARD) for patients with cancer receiving radiation therapy compared with standard of care. Hence researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York conducted a randomized clinical trial to determine the efficacy of bacterial decolonization (BD) on ARD severity compared with standard of care. 

A phase 2/3 randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 2019 to August 2021 with investigator blinding at an urban academic cancer center by enrolling patients with breast cancer or head and neck cancer receiving radiation therapy (RT) with curative intent. Nearly 123 patients were assessed for eligibility via convenience sampling, 3 were excluded, and 40 refused to participate. Interventions included intranasal mupirocin ointment twice a day along with chlorhexidine body cleanser once daily for 5 days before RT and repeated for 5 days every 2 weeks through RT. The primary outcome was the development of grade 2 or higher ARD with moist desquamation.