Patients receiving targeted anticancer treatments are at a significant risk of developing xerosis, or abnormal dryness, according to Dr. Johannah Valentine and her associates.
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials involving 58 targeted agents, nearly 18% of all patients developed xerosis, with 1% of patients developing high-grade xerosis. The incidence may be affected by age, concomitant medications, comorbidities, and underlying malignancies or skin conditions, and reporting may vary among physicians and institutions, the researchers said.
Patients should be counseled and treated early for this symptom to prevent suboptimal dosing and quality-of-life impairment, the investigators recommended.
Read the full article at the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2014.12.010).