Cutaneous Reactions to Chemotherapeutic Agents

May 2001 in “ The American journal of the medical sciences ”

Robert A. Koppel, Erin Boh

Studysummary This article reviews common skin eruptions in chemotherapy patients and discusses how recognizing these patterns can help avoid unnecessary changes to cancer treatment; it reports no new clinical results. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The document reviewed various cutaneous reactions to chemotherapeutic agents, highlighting the complexity of evaluating skin eruptions in immunosuppressed oncology patients. Common reactions included mucositis, alopecia, hypersensitivity reactions, hyperpigmentation, onychodystrophy, acral erythema, and radiation reactions. Specific agents like methotrexate, suramin, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, docetaxel, and interferon were noted for causing severe skin reactions. The document emphasized the importance of recognizing these patterns to avoid unnecessary discontinuation of effective treatments and improve patient care.

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Research cited in this study

4 / 4 results

research A Randomized Trial of Minoxidil in Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

127 citations , July 1996 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This study found that in women undergoing chemotherapy after breast surgery, topical minoxidil significantly shortened the duration of hair loss compared to a placebo without significant side effects.

research Cutaneous Reactions to Recombinant Cytokine Therapy

105 citations , September 1995 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This review discusses the use of recombinant cytokines as therapeutic agents in clinical settings and describes the range of cutaneous complications associated with their use, including both minor and severe skin reactions.

research Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

52 citations , May 1993 in “Southern Medical Journal”

This study found that Imuvert consistently protected against alopecia induced by certain chemotherapy drugs in rats, potentially mediated by a monocyte-derived cytokine like interleukin-1.

research Cutaneous Complications of Chemotherapeutic Agents

172 citations , November 1983 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This article discusses the cutaneous side effects of various chemotherapeutic agents but reports no new clinical results; the authors emphasize the importance of dermatologists recognizing drug-induced skin reactions to better patient care.