[How to maximize skin care during radiotherapy?]. / Comment optimiser les soins cutanés pendant la radiothérapie ?

No consensual guidelines exist regarding the management of early effects of radiotherapy. But preventive and curative care strategies could be adapted in the aim to delay erythema, limit complications and improve patients' comfort. Prevention involves encouraging patients to take care of their skin, avoid moisture, frictions, sun exposition and dry soap. When these rules seem insufficient, products (dressings, solution, or cream) could be prescribed, according to the individual risk of each patient. Preventive measures are accentuated when radiodermatitis appears and/or topics indicated for wound healing could be applied. Care (education, dressing, observation) needs a multidisciplinary approach. Improvements of radiotherapy treatments (methods, techniques) have been the most effective evolution on radiodermatitis.

Neoplastic wounds and degenerescence.

Between 5% and 10% of cancer patients develop malignant wounds. Cancer wounds can occur as a clinical entity, especially over the breast, with the development of painful, spreading cancer invasions of the skin. Marjolin's ulcers develop in open wounds after a long period, and form rare malignancies arising from previously traumatised, chronically inflamed, or scarred skin. Marjolin's ulcer is associated with malignant transformation of chronic ulcers, sinus tracts, and burn scars. Squamous cell carcinoma may be linked to a wide variety of medical and surgical clinical situations, such as chronic ulcers, sinuses, chronic osteomyelitis, radiotherapy, burn scars, chronic pressure ulcers, as well as cystostomy sites, and Fournier's gangrene scars. Melanomas, lymphomas, and other cancers can also be observed. Basal cell carcinoma is more frequently observed in ulcers associated with venous insufficiency. According to some reports, the ulcer should have existed for at least 3 years to evoke a diagnosis of degenerescence as opposed ulcerated tumour. Epidermoid carcinomas represent between 0.21% and 0.34% of cancers that develop over leg ulcers, but large series are still lacking. The current lack of epidemiological data could be rectified by more frequent evocation of the diagnosis and a policy of systematic biopsy of chronically open wounds.

Which medical device and/or which local treatment are to be used, as of 2012, in patients with infected pressure sore? Developing French guidelines for clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: Taking care of a patient with an infected pressure sore necessitates a diagnosis allowing for a suitable treatment strategy. AIMS: To choose the dressings and topical antimicrobial agents that can be used as of 2012 in treatment of an infected pressure sore. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature with queries to the databases Pascal Biomed, PubMed and Cochrane Library from 2000 through 2010. RESULTS: Diagnosis of local infection is essentially clinical. It is subsequently difficult to destroy and/or permeabilize biofilm by means of mechanical wound debridement. Application of an antimicrobial product and a disinfectant solution are of utmost importance in this respect. DISCUSSION: The studies do not demonstrate that one topical product is better than another in wound cleaning. The papers recommending antimicrobial topics lead to the conclusion that they may be interesting, but show little clinical evidence of their beneficial effects. Dressings including silver, iodine, polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) and negative pressure wound therapy could likewise be of interest, but once again, existing studies present only a low level of evidence (Grade C). CONCLUSION: Local antimicrobial treatment can be used when there are signs of local infection (Grade C). Systemic antibiotic treatment is to be used when there are general medical signs of infection (Grade B).

Workload and prevalence of open wounds in the community: French Vulnus initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate the prevalence of open cutaneous wounds presented on a routine working day in community settings in metropolitan France, and to estimate the workload associated with the care of these wounds by nurses, GPs and specialists (dermatologists, diabetologists and phlebologists). METHOD: A transversal epidemiological survey was conducted on a randomly selected sample of the above practitioners between June and July 2008. The percentage of patients presenting on a routine working day with open a cutaneous lesion of any origin, location, size and duration was assessed. All local and systemic care performed on the patient during that day because of the wound was also recorded. RESULTS: In total, 475 GPs, 453 specialists and 238 nurses participated (n=1166) and saw a total of 29 663 patients, of whom 3037 presented with one or more cutaneous wound. The overall non-weighted prevalence of patients with a wound was 10.2% (95%CI: 9.9%;10.6%). This prevalence was similar for GPs (6.0%) and for specialists (6.9%), but was higher for nurses (22.0%). Forty-three per cent of all wounds had a duration of over 6 weeks. These chronic wounds were predominantly leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers or pressure ulcers, but also included wounds of all aetiologies. For 33% of all patients with wounds, the impact on their health status was serious to severe. The overwhelming majority of wounds (95%) required local care, including in 65% of cases cleansing and debridement. CONCLUSION: Despite its limitations, this initiative, the first of its type in France, strongly suggests that wound care constitutes an important part of routine care given by health professionals in the community, and for a substantial number of these patients, wounds represent a serious morbidity. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: The non-profit organisation 'Association Vivre avec une Plaie' financially supported this study. This association received unrestricted grants from the French Wound Healing Society (SFFPC) and a consortium of private companies (main sponsors: ConvaTec, Genevrier, Hartmann, KCI, Mölnycke, Smith & Nephew, Urgo; minor sponsors: Coloplast, Covidien, HNE) to fund the costs incurred by the methodological process and statistical analysis but had no input into the findings. The National Health Insurance Organisation provided non-financial support to this initiative. J.C. Kerihuel received support for the submitted work from 'Association Vivre avec une Plaie'. S. Meaume, I. Fromantin and L. Téot have no financial relationship with 'Association Vivre avec une Plaie', for either this or any work submitted in the previous 3 years. The authors have no non-financial interests that may be relevant to the submitted work, and their spouses, partners, or children have no financial relationships that may be relevant to the submitted work

Necrosis in breast cancer patients with skin metastases receiving bevacizumab-based therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Bevacizumab has entered daily practice in advanced breast cancer patients, in whom skin metastases occurrence is a common event. Wound healing impairment has been described with bevacizumab, and this study looks at possible deleterious side effects of bevacizumab in patients with skin metastases. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed a series of 12 patients with advanced breast cancer presenting extensive skin metastases, and who received bevacizumab based therapy. RESULTS: Nine patients who initially presented with erosive skin lesions developed extensive and durable skin necrosis, as well as delayed healing of surgical flaps, despite early discontinuation of bevacizumab therapy and intensive skin care in a specialised unit. Skin necrosis was usually associated with extensive tumoural involvement of the skin. CONCLUSION: Bevacizumab may be harmful in selected breast cancer patients with metastatic cutaneous involvement.

Inception and validation of a pressure ulcer risk scale in oncology.

OBJECTIVE: To create and validate a specific tool to evaluate the pressure ulcer risk in cancer patients. METHOD: The Pressure Ulcer Scale in Oncology (PUSO) was developed and subsequently validated against the Norton and Braden scales in order to efficiently and reliably evaluate the pressure ulcer risk in adult cancer patients, with various sites and stages of the illness (both curative and palliative phases). Two series of prevalence surveys (three surveys over two days, at two-month intervals) were conducted in one and then two French Cancer Centres in 2002 and 2009, respectively. The surveys investigated a total of 933 patients. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified three key items as being predictive of the development of pressure ulcers in cancer patients (mobility, incontinence and moisture/shearing), all with similar odds ratio weighting. A score was defined using this logistic model, the PUSO score (0-3)=bedridden/chair-ridden + incontinence + moisture/shearing. CONCLUSION: The extreme simplicity of this scale may appear disconcerting, but the PUSO is a simple, reliable and validated tool, which allows standardised evaluation of each patient's risk and, thereby, rapid introduction of appropriate measures.

Psychological profile of patients with neglected malignant wounds: a qualitative exploratory study.

Neglected malignant ulcerating tumours often result from failure to seek medical attention, even when the advancing tumour is visible to the patient and their friends and families. Although the appropriate wound treatment procedures are the same as for non-neglected malignant wounds, clinicians must take such neglect into account when planning the patient's care. Over a 2-year period, 25 patients at the National Cancer Centre Wound Care Unit in Paris were identified as presenting with a neglected tumour; 18 of these agreed to participate in a structured interview with a psycho-oncologist for an evaluation of their neglect behaviour. Initial results demonstrate a frequent, but not systematic, presence of a wide range of psychopathological disorders.

[Importance of local skin treatments during radiotherapy for prevention and treatment of radio-induced epithelitis]. / Intérêt des applications cutanées en cours de radiothérapie pour la prévention et le traitement des épithéliites radio-induites.

Radio-epithelitis represents a common problem, for which treatments are characterized by a great heterogeneity. The present review of literature focuses on data referenced in Pubmed((c))/Medline((c)) and published in French/English. Despite a real preclinical rationale, aloe vera and trolamine failed to demonstrate any benefit in the prophylactic settings. In a prospective assessment phase III assessment, Calendula Officinalis was shown to be superior to trolamine for the prevention of radio-epithelitis. In the curative settings, sucrafalte failed to demonstrate any benefit. The benefit of dermocorticoids was suggested in terms of erythema and itching. Promising clinical results are available with hyaluronic acid (MA S065D and Ialugen) and silver leaf may reduce the intensity of cutaneous radio-induced side effects. Data from the literature are conflicting, making real the difficulty to adopt from clinical trials any proof-of-principle strategy. Considering these uncertainties, several strategies are allowed. New topics are under investigation. Present data from the literature highlight the need for further trials, in order to propose evidence-based treatments and to harmonize clinical practice.

[Hypofractionated breast radiotherapy in 13 fractions, perfect tolerance or delayed early reaction? Prospective study of Curie Institute]. / La radiothérapie mammaire hypofractionnée en 13 séances, parfaite tolérance ou réaction cutanée décalée ? Etude prospective de l'institut Curie.

PURPOSE: To assess the skin toxicity of this scheme and the time to its appearance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-one prospectively recorded patients (pts), treated in Radiotherapy Department for Breast Cancer (BC) with radiotherapy (RT) to the whole breast at the dose of 42.9Gy per 13 fractions (F) per 5 weeks have been studied. Skin reactions were monitored weekly using the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria scoring system, version 3. All risk factors as tobacco smoking, diabetes, obesity were also recorded. RESULTS: All 81 pts, aged from 40 to 83 years (median: 70 years) received whole breast RT 42.9Gy per 13 F without lymph node irradiation after breast conserving surgery. There were no pts with concurrent chemo- and/or hormonal therapy. Seventeen patients (21%) have been treated using decubitus dorsal (DD) technique and 64 (79%) using the previously described isocentric decubitus lateral (IDL) technique. During the RT, only 34 pts (42%) experienced grade I skin reactions and 47 pts (58%) were without. At the last day of the breast irradiation, there were 66 (81%) grade I (N=59) and II (N=7) skin reactions and 15 pts (19%) without. The early skin tolerance of this scheme was considered to be excellent. But in the 2 weeks after the RT, 20 pts (25%) asked for new clinics with their radiation oncologist as a matter of urgency due to worsening of their skin condition. All of them have been seen by their physician and/or the nurse. Of them, nine presented grade I and 11 presented grade II skin reactions, with necessity of special skin care. The analysis of these results was realized and delayed clinics were organized for all pts treated with this scheme 10-14 days after the end of the radiation treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The breast RT 42.9Gy/13 F have been previously described as an efficacious and well tolerated scheme. This prospective homogeneous group of patients showed that delayed early skin reactions could appear in some cases. Therefore complementary clinics are needed to detect and treat these reactions.