Supportive Oncodermatology: Managing Skin, Hair, and Nail Toxicities in Cancer Care

Synopsis: Adverse reactions involving the skin, nails, and hair are common among patients undergoing treatment for cancer and are often underreported and overlooked. These reactions directly impact patient quality of life and may be the reason for interruptions in lifesaving antineoplastic treatment. To address these toxicities, the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) is leading an initiative that aims to educate providers and other cancer care team members about the optimal management of dermatologic side effects.     In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Julie Ryan Wolf, PhD, MPH and C.J.G. (Corina) van den Hurk, PhD, the chair and vice chair of the Oncodermatology Study Group at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) about common oncodermatological toxicities including radiation dermatitis, hair loss, and nail changes unique to EGFR-inhibitors. Also discussed are strategies to increase provider collaboration to intervene at an early stage to improve quality of life for patients receiving cancer treatment.   "If we have symptom monitoring on a regular basis throughout the course of treatment, we'll be able to intervene sooner… helping improve [patient] quality of life" – Julie Ryan Wolf, PhD, MPH   "In effect, almost each patient has a dermatologic side effect at the end of the treatment, or has experienced that during the treatment, and they are all very interfering." – CJG (Corina) van den Hurk, PhD                     Julie Ryan Wolf, PhD, MPH   Chair, Oncodermatology Study Group  Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)  Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Department of Radiation Oncology   University of Rochester Medical Center   Rochester, NY      CJG (Corina) van den Hurk, PhD   Vice Chair, Oncodermatology Study Group  Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)  Senior Researcher, Santeon Hospitals   Netherlands         Thank you to Johnson & Johnson for their support of this program.     Additional Reading/Sources     Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Home  Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Oncodermatology Study Group   MASCC Study Group Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines   ACCC Supportive Care Strategies for Dermatologic Toxicities Related to Cancer Therapies  Oncology Issues – Supportive Oncodermatology: Addressing dermatologic adverse events associated with oncologic therapies  Dermatologic Adverse Events of Systemic Anticancer Therapies: Cytotoxic Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, and Immunotherapy  Oncodermatology: Advancing the Science and Care of Cancer Patients and Survivors  Supportive oncodermatology-a narrative review of its utility and the way forward =