Key clinical point: Patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer (BC) experienced a significant reduction in radiation-induced dermatitis (RID) incidence and severity after the prophylactic use of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) solution.
Major finding: Incidence rates of grade ≥2 RID (50.5% vs. 72.2%; P = .008), the mean RID index of patients (5.22 vs. 6.21; P < .001), and RID-related symptoms, such as pain ( P = .03), burning sensation ( P = .001), itching ( P < .001), and tenderness ( P = .002), were significantly lower in the EGCG vs. placebo group. No severe EGCG solution/placebo-related adverse events were observed.
Study details: Findings are from a double-blind, phase 2 study including 165 women with histologically confirmed BC who received postoperative radiotherapy and were randomly assigned to receive EGCG solution or placebo.
Disclosures: Z Zhou, J Yu, and H Zhao received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jinan Science and Technology Plan Project, and other sources. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Zhao H et al. Efficacy of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in preventing dermatitis in patients with breast cancer receiving postoperative radiotherapy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 randomized clinical trial. JAMA Dermatol. 2022 (Jun 1). Doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.1736