Cutaneous and Mucosal Side Effects of New Anticancer Drugs: EGF-R Inhibitors, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, and Mitotic Spindle Stabilizers

The 2011 study by Cawet, Bulinckx, Dewulf, and Tennstedt discussed the skin side effects of new oncology treatments, specifically inhibitors of EGF-R tyrosine kinase, "multitarget" tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and mitotic spindle stabilizers. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors Sorafenib, Sunitinib, and Imatinib were associated with side effects such as hand-foot syndrome, subungual haemorrhages, changes in hair texture, hair loss, and erythema of the face and scalp. The anti-EGF-R drugs Cetuximab and Erlotinib were linked to papulo-pustular eruptions, xerosis, fine hair, brittle and frizzy-like androgenetic alopecia, changes in hair color, and trichomegaly ciliary. Mitotic spindle stabilizers or taxanes were responsible for mucositis, stomatitis, handfoot syndrome, onycholysis, hyper-or hypopigmentation nail, alopecia, and scleroderma. The authors emphasized the importance of recognizing these symptoms early for comprehensive patient care.