Mitigation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor-Induced Side Effects Utilizing Melanin and Vascular-Specific Lasers: A Case Report Series

May 2017 in “ Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy ”

Karen Y. Kuo, Bernice Y. Kwong, Zakia Rahman

epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors melanin-specific lasers vascular-specific lasers pulse dye laser intense pulsed light Alexandrite laser papulopustular eruptions hypertrichosis cutaneous adverse effects EGFR inhibitors PDL IPL

TLDR Lasers can help reduce skin side effects from cancer treatment.

The study explored the use of melanin and vascular-specific lasers to treat skin side effects in three stage III or IV cancer patients caused by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. Two patients experienced a reduction in papulopustular eruptions after pulse dye laser (PDL) treatment, and two patients saw reduced hair growth following intense pulsed light (IPL) and/or Alexandrite laser treatments. One patient treated with both PDL and IPL reported improvements in both EGFR-induced hypertrichosis and papulopustular eruptions. The findings suggested that laser and light devices targeting melanin and hemoglobin could effectively mitigate cutaneous adverse effects in patients unresponsive to traditional therapies, offering a new treatment option for managing chemotherapy-induced side effects.

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