Finally--a topical treatment appears effective vs. radiation induced dermatitis!
 

active ingredient is derivative of green tea

Oncotarget. 2016 May 20. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.9495. [Epub ahead of print]
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate ameliorates radiation-induced acute skin damage in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy.
Zhu W1, Jia L2, Chen G3, Zhao H1, Sun X4, Meng X1, Zhao X1, Xing L1, Yu J1,3, Zheng M3.
Author information
Abstract
There are few effective treatment options for radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients. We conducted a single-arm trial to tested the hypothesis that topical epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is effective against radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Forty-nine patients participated in this study. The patients underwent mastectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Topical EGCG was applied daily, starting when grade I dermatitis appeared and ending two weeks after radiotherapy. The maximum dermatitis observed during the EGCG treatment was as follows: Grade 1 toxicity, 71.4% (35 patients); grade 2 toxicity, 28.6% (14 patients); there were no patients with grade 3 or 4 toxicity. The majority of the radiation-induced dermatitis was observed 1 week after the end of radiotherapy. EGCG reduced the pain in 85.7% of patients, burning-feeling in 89.8%, itching in 87.8%, pulling in 71.4%, and tenderness in 79.6%. These findings suggest topical EGCG may be an effective treatment for radiation-induced dermatitis and has acceptable toxicity.
KEYWORDS:
breast neoplasms; dermatitis; epigallocatechin-3-gallate; radiation