time of day radiation treatment received affects whether or not skin toxicitydevelops

[Lani]

J Radiat Res. 2014 Jan 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Comparison of acute skin reaction following morning versus late afternoon radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer who have undergone curative surgical resection.
Noh JM, Choi DH, Park H, Huh SJ, Park W, Seol SW, Jeong BK, Nam SJ, Lee JE, Kil WH.
Author information

Abstract
We investigated the relationship between the time of radiotherapy (RT) and treatment outcomes in breast cancer. Patients with pathologic T1-2N0-1 breast cancer who received adjuvant RT in the morning (before 10:00 AM) or late afternoon (after 3:00 PM) were eligible for inclusion in this study. We retrospectively compared the clinicopathologic characteristics, acute skin reaction, and survival outcomes according to the time of RT. The median follow-up duration was 83 months (range, 10-131 months). From the 395 eligible patients, 190 (48.1%) and 205 (51.9%) patients were classified into the morning RT group and the afternoon RT group, respectively. The clinicopathologic characteristics were relatively well balanced between the treatment groups, except for pathologic N-stage (P = 0.0409). Grade 2 or higher acute skin reaction according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria was observed in 39 (9.9%) patients, with a higher frequency in the afternoon RT group than the morning RT group (13.7% vs 5.8%, respectively; P = 0.0088). There was no difference in the failure patterns or survival outcomes between the treatment groups. RT in late afternoon was associated with increased Grade 2 or more skin reaction after RT for breast cancer patients, but treatment outcomes did not differ according to the time of RT. Individualized considerations for treatment should be taken into account to reduce the risk of skin reactions.
KEYWORDS:
breast cancer, circadian rhythm, radiation-induced dermatitis, radiotherapy

PMID: 24385471 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free full text

[tricia keegan]

I had mine around lunchtime but thanks Lani.

[Hopeful]

Mine were as early in the morning as I could make them, around 7:15 or 7:30. My rads nurse was amazed at the quality of the irradiated skin, and said I was one of the best outcomes she had seen. Maybe there is something to this.

Hopeful

[Lien]

Mine were around 9 AM. I have very fair skin, but had few skin problems. Only during the last week, when I had the boost to the tumor bed, did I develop some oozing sores. They cleared up fast. I also was given an anthroposophic lotion by my GP that was meant to protect the skin.

Jacqueline

[Becky]

I had them the last appointment of the day and after 3 weeks, I burned to a crisp and I am a person who will slightly burn but tan in the sun.

I think I told everyone here that 5 months after I was diagnosed, my mother was diagnosed. She had a tumor that was less than 1 cm and was highly ER and PR positive but not Her2+. Because she did not need chemo, we did radiation together. She started a week or so before me but we had the same rad onc. He said I would burn more than her because I had chemo and she did not (mom only had a lumpectomy and radiation and is at 9 years out and still doing very well). My mom did not burn and had radiation in the morning - first thing (because she babysat my nephew at the time and needed to get home before he came to the house). I always thought I burned because of chemo but that may not be entirely the case.