Radiodermatitis: Analysis of Predictive Factors in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Radiotherapy is one of the therapeutic modalities chosen for adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment in patients with breast cancer. This modality causes a painful skin reaction known as radiodermatitis. Objective: To evaluate the factors related with the appearance of radiodermatitis after radiotherapy and their relationship with the highest degree of toxicity in patients with breast cancer. Method: Retrospective study, with 117 patients with breast cancer submitted to 3D conformational radiotherapy between 2016 and 2018, at variable doses. Personal data were collected from medical records, and the degree of radiodermatitis established according to the criteria of the Radiation Oncology Group. The total of 15 predictive factors in potential were listed and later analyzed by univariate and multivariate statistics. Results: The study population presented an average of 50 years, 47% reported some comorbidities, 59.83% underwent radical surgery and 81.19% developed radiodermatitis. In a multivariate analysis, there was an association between development of radiodermatitis and higher doses of radiation (p=0.011) and daily bolus use (p=0.009). Conclusion: The main elements that culminated in higher degrees of radiodermatitis were the dose of radiation and the use of daily bolus. By categorizing the predictive factors, we can identify the patient with the highest risk of severe skin lesions and enables the creation of more effective protocols for the prevention of radiodermatitis.