Bacterial decolonization reduces acute radiation dermatitis prophylaxis

Bacterial decolonization (BD) effectively reduces acute radiation dermatitis (ARD) prophylaxis, specifically for patients with breast cancer, according to a study.

This phase 2/3 randomized clinical trial involved 77 cancer patients who received radiation therapy. Of these, 39 were treated with a topical compound called BD, while the remaining 38 received standard of care. The primary outcome of the trial was the development of grade 2 or higher ARD, but this was later refined to grade 2-MD, which specifically refers to ARD with moist desquamation.

Results showed that none of the patients treated with BD developed ARD grade 2-MD or higher, while 23.7% of patients receiving standard of care did. Similarly, among the 75 patients with breast cancer, none treated with BD and 21.6% receiving standard of care developed ARD grade 2-MD or higher.

The mean ARD grade was also significantly lower for patients treated with BD compared to those receiving standard of care. Most patients in the study were female and either Black or Hispanic. Adherence to the BD regimen was reported by 69.2% of patients, and only one patient experienced an adverse event related to BD.

Reference

Kost Y, Deutsch A, Mieczkowska K, et al. Bacterial Decolonization for Prevention of Radiation Dermatitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2023;doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.0444. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37140904.