What is Radiodermatitis Disease?

What is Radiodermatitis?

Radiodermatitis, also known as radiation dermatitis, x-ray dermatitis, radiation skin damage, or eradiation burn, it is a condition that primarily affects the skin followed by exposure to a radiation therapy, it is basically termed as a side effect of the radiation treatment. Development and severity of Radiodermatitis is associated with multiple patient and treatment factors such as total radiation dose, duration of radiotherapy, and treatment with chemotherapy.

The onset of the Radiodermatitis disease varies depending upon the intensity of the dose and the tissue sensitivity of the patient. Radiodermatitis occurs especially in patients with skin cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, or sarcoma. It can also occur as an acute inflammatory reaction in response to a systemic drug long after radiotherapy and within days or months following treatment with a triggering agent.

View Radiodermatitis Market Overview

The severity of Radiodermatitis is sorted into two types; 1) Acute and 2) Chronic, Acute skin reactions develop a few hours to weeks after the first exposure to radiation, whereas chronic RD can develop months, years or even decades after radiation.

According to the American Society for Radiation Oncology, approximately 95% of patients receiving radiation therapy suffer from some degree of Radiodermatitis whereas around 85% of the total patient base experience severe to moderate Radiodermatitis that requires intensive treatment.

The reason for the higher incidence in these cancer patient populations is due to a higher radiation dose to the skin. In most cases, the skin reaction is mild or moderate. Approximately 20 to 45% of patients experience moist desquamation and ulceration.

Radiation dermatitis is commonly treated with low-level light therapy. However, risk factors and high cost associated with treatment restrain the market growth. Radiation dermatitis can be a serious condition because, in addition to its direct physical complications and the resulting impact on overall quality of life, it can also be a dose-limiting toxicity requiring changes to the prescribed course of radiation therapy.

Radiation dermatitis is a common side effect of radiotherapy, which can damage skin cells as it fights cancer cells. Symptoms include redness, skin peeling, and ulceration. It usually begins to resolve after treatment ends. In some cases, it can appear years after radiotherapy has finished.

Even though, a reduced total dose of radiation and use of an advanced mode of radiation delivery may help to mitigate the severity of radiation effects on the skin, radiation dermatitis remains one of the most common side effects of RT.

Radiodermatitis is the integumentary system's response to exposure to ionizing radiation. Short-term skin responses can range from erythematous rash to development of desquamation and necrosis. Late effects can appear months to years after radiation treatment and include pigmentation changes, telangiectasia, photosensitivity, fibrosis, atrophy, and delayed wound healing and other complications of surgery within the radiation treatment field.

It has been estimated that in developed countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K, France, and Germany, nearly half of the patients who receive treatment for cancer was also subjected to radiation therapy during the illness, and about all of them experience some degree of skin reaction.

Radiodermatitis or Radiation-induced dermatitis is classified as acute and chronic Radiodermatitis.

Acute Radiodermatitis occurs within 90 days of exposure to radiation. The patient may have skin changes ranging from faint erythema (reddening) and desquamation (peeling skin) to skin necrosis (death of skin cells) and ulceration, depending on the severity of the reaction. Chronic Radiodermatitis may occur from 15 days to 10 years or more after the beginning of radiation therapy. It is an extension of the acute process and involves further inflammatory changes in the skin

It specified that in severe cases of acute radiodermatitis, premature interruption of Radio therapy might be necessary, which will eventually affect the treatment outcome and overall patient survival. Symptoms of acute radiodermatitis have been classified into three levels; grade 1 (mild erythema), grade 2 (dry desquamation), and grade 3 (severe moist desquamation). Grade 1 skin toxicity still remains a problem for around 90% of patients and grade 2 for 30% of patients.

Read More @ Radiodermatitis Market Report