for those undergoing radiation therapy--new research shows Ok to use Alum- deodorant

[Lani]

Aluminium-based Deodorants Appear Safe for Use During Radiation Treatment for Breast Cancer: Presented at ASTRO [Doctor's Guide]
LOS ANGELES, CA — November 1, 2007 — Use of aluminium-based deodorants while undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer appears to be safe, according to study findings presented here at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
"Women with breast cancer receiving external radiation are often instructed to avoid aluminium-based deodorant on the treated side and not to apply skin products in the radiation field 4 hours prior to treatment," said study presenter Juli Aistars, RN, MS, Radiation Oncology nurse at Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States.
"Our results showed no major clinical differences in time to onset of maximum severity of skin reactions between the two groups — those who followed the standard protocol and those who used deodorant as usual," Ms Aistars continued.
She said the study of 30 women and 30 controls does not provide evidence to support the ban on the cosmetic agents prior to radiotherapy. Ms Aistars pointed out that other researchers have found similar results and her own small pilot study appears to confirm those results.
In this study, women were allowed to use their aluminium-based deodorant on their regular schedule and were told to also apply 100% aloe gel one to three times per day, with one application within 30 minutes before treatment. The 30 women in the control group were given standard instructions and met similar criteria as the active treatment group.
Only one out of the 60 women completed the treatment without any appearance of redness. She was in the active treatment group who was permitted to use deodorant.
Fifteen women in the control group experienced faint, transient (Grade 1) erythema, as did 17 women in the deodorant-wearing group. Bright erythema (Grade 2) occurred in 15 women in the control group and 12 women using deodorants.
ASTRO 49: #2700: A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Validity of Skin Care Protocols Followed by Women with Breast Cancer Receiving External Radiation [American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology]
Purpose/Objective(s): Women with breast cancer receiving external radiation are often instructed to avoid aluminum-based deodorant on the treated side and not to apply skin care products in the radiation field four hours prior to treatment to prevent severe skin reactions. If allowing a woman to use her deodorant and skin care products on a convenient schedule has no significant effect on skin reactions, then eliminating these instructions will be less disruptive to her normal hygiene routine.
Materials/Methods: Thirty women treated between October, 2005 and December, 2006 were given skin care instructions which included using their aluminum-based deodorant and applying 100% aloe vera gel 1-3 times per day with one application of aloe within a half hour of treatment. Criteria included informed consent, diagnosis of Stage 0, 1, or 2 breast cancer, treatment with external radiation, no lymph nodes directly treated, and Zubrod performance status of 0-2. Skin was assessed twice a week during treatment and 2, 4, and 6 weeks post-treatment using the Skin Toxicity Assessment Tool (Berthelet et al., 2004). Subjects completed a written survey at the end of treatment evaluating the convenience of the aloe vera schedule and the importance of using their own deodorant. A convenience sample of 30 women treated during the same time period and meeting the same criteria served as the control group. This group was given the department's standard skin care instructions (no deodorant and no skin care products applied within 4 hours prior to treatment) and data was collected from a retrospective chart audit. Time to onset and maximum severity of skin reactions were compared between the two groups.
Results: Mean age: Experimental group (E) 64.3; Control group (C) 58.3. Race: White with the exception of one.
Conclusions: The results showed no major clinical difference when comparing severity and onset of skin erythema between the two groups.