Acute skin toxicity management in head and neck cancer patients treatedwith radiotherapy and chemotherapy or EGFR inhibitors: Literaturereview and consensus

The adverse effects of radiation therapy, often integrated with chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies, on the skin include severe acute andchronic dermatitis associated with pain, discomfort, itching, and burning, and may heavily affect patients’ quality of life. The management ofthese skin adverse effects in head and neck cancer patients (HNCPs) are very heterogeneous due to the lack of shared rigorous classificationsystems and evidence based treatments.A multidisciplinary group of head and neck cancer specialists from Italy met with the aim of reaching a consensus on a clinical definitionand management of dermatitis in HNCPs treated with radiotherapy with or without systemic therapies in order to improve skin toxicitymanagement. The Delphi Appropriateness Method was used. External expert reviewers then evaluated the conclusions carefully according totheir area of expertise.This paper offers contains seven clusters of statements about the management of dermatitis in HNCPs and a review of recent literature onthese topics.