Can a Silicone-Based Polyurethane Film Dressing Prevent Acute Radiation Dermatitis in Breast Cancer?

By: Julia Fiederlein
Posted: Friday, October 28, 2022

Based on the results of a multicenter phase III trial, which were presented in the October 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Plenary Series (Abstract 390226), some patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy experienced a significant reduction in radiation dermatitis after treatment with a silicone-based polyurethane film dressing (known as Mepitel® Film) compared with standard skin care. Edward Chow, MBBS, MSc, PhD, of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, and colleagues recommended changes to clinical practice for prevention of this condition and inclusion of the experimental dressing in guidelines for high-risk populations.

Patients with large breasts after lumpectomy or mastectomy were randomly assigned to treatment with the film dressing (n = 266) or standard care (n = 137); of this population, 376 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Treatment with the film dressing was found to significantly reduce the incidence of grade 2 or 3 radiation dermatitis compared with standard care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.20). Benefits with the experimental dressing remained significant in patients who developed grade 3 radiation dermatitis (OR = 0.19) and moist desquamation (OR = 0.36), the study authors reported.

The combined patient and health-care professional Radiation-Induced Skin Reaction Assessment Scale (RISRAS) score was found to be significantly lower with the experimental film dressing than with standard care; patient-reported outcomes (tenderness, discomfort of pain, and burning sensation) and clinician-reported outcomes (erythema and moist desquamation) evaluated via the RISRAS appeared to favor the novel film dressing. Based on an evaluation conducted using the Skin Symptom Assessment, the patient-reported outcomes of blistering/peeling, erythema, pigmentation, and edema, along with the clinician-reported outcomes of pain/soreness, blistering/peeling, erythema, and pigmentation, were significantly reduced with the experimental film dressing. Topical antibiotics seemed to be prescribed significantly less frequently to patients who were treated with the novel dressing.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit coi.asco.org.

ASCO Plenary Series

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