Protective effect of Cavilon™ on radiodermatitis in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Radiodermatitis is a common problem in breast cancer treatment with ionizing radiation. It may result in interruption of radiotherapy, depending on the level of the skin lesion. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Cavilon™ (3M, St. Paul, MN, USA), a novel prophylactic agent, in preventing mammary radiodermatitis compared to conventional sunflower oil. This prospective study involved 19 breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Participants received Cavilon™ on one breast quadrant and sunflower oil on the opposite quadrant. The occurrence and severity of radiodermatitis were assessed twice weekly over 25 treatment sessions. Post-treatment assessments indicated that 16% of the Cavilon™-treated quadrants exhibited no radiodermatitis (stage 0), compared to 11% in the sunflower oil-treated quadrants. The mean degree of radiodermatitis was 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-1.29) with Cavilon™ vs. 1.37 (95% CI: 0.97-1.77) with sunflower oil, a statistically significant difference (paired t-test: p=0.016; Wilcoxon signed-rank test: p=0.021). Progression to stage 3 occurred in 5% of Cavilon™-treated quadrants vs. 11% with sunflower oil. The findings suggest that Cavilon™ is more effective than sunflower oil in mitigating the progression of radiodermatitis in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Its application is a beneficial addition to the skin management protocol in radiation oncology.