Evaluation of cutaneous side-effects associated with chemotherapeutic use in oncological patients

Introduction
Side-effects are frequently encountered in classic chemotherapy. However, the recent development of targeted treatments has resulted in a diminution of these. The most common side-effects are dermatological.

Aim: To investigate cutaneous changes occurring in patients using classic and targeted chemotherapeutic agents, and the prevalence of these changes in the two groups.

Material and methods
One hundred twenty-eight volunteer oncological patients using chemotherapeutic agents were included in this prospective study. Two subgroups were established, patients using classic and those using targeted chemotherapeutic agents.

Results
Xerosis was the most common side-effect, being seen in 93 (72.7%) of the 128 patients. Other common side-effects included alopecia, pruritus, mucositis, skin pigmentation, and palmar-plantar erythema. The most common side-effects in the classic chemotherapeutic group were xerosis seen in 71 (75.5%) patients, pruritus in 50 (53.2%), alopecia in 49 (52.1%), and nail changes in 43 (45.7%). The most common side-effects in the targeted chemotherapeutic group were xerosis seen in 22 (64.7%) patients, nail changes in 17 (50%), alopecia in 15 (44.1%), and pruritus in 13 (38.2%).

Conclusions
The most common cutaneous side-effects were less prevalent in the patient group using targeted chemotherapeutic agents than in the classic group. Various side-effects associated with chemotherapeutic use which had not been previously reported were also identified in this study. Classic chemotherapeutic agents caused more serious side-effects requiring discontinuation of treatment than targeted chemotherapeutic agents.