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The effect of antiperspirant and deodorant use on acute radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients during radiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

While some authors have investigated the impact of antiperspirant /deodorant on the development of acute radiation dermatitis (RD) among patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) for breast cancer, recommendations supporting the use of antiperspirant/deodorant during breast RT remain highly variable. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the evidence investigating the effect of antiperspirant/deodorant on the development of acute RD during post-operative breast RT.

Methods

A literature search has been performed using OVID MedLine, Embase, and Cochrane databases (1946 to September 2020) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have investigated deodorant/antiperspirant use during RT. The meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 to calculate pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The use of antiperspirant/deodorant did not significantly affect the incidence of grade (G) 1 + RD (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.54–1.21, p = 0.31). Prohibition of deodorant use did not significantly prevent the occurrence of G2 + acute RD (OR 0.90, 95%, CI 0.65–1.25, p = 0.53). No significant effect was reported in preventing G3 RD between the antiperspirant/deodorant and control groups (OR 0.54, 95%, CI 0.26–1.12, p = 0.10). There was no significant difference in pruritus and pain between patients undergoing skin care protocols with or without antiperspirant/deodorant (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.29, 1.81, p = 0.50, and OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.43–2.52, p = 0.92, respectively).

Conclusions

The use of antiperspirant/deodorant during breast RT does not significantly affect the incidence of acute RD, pruritus, and pain. As such, the current evidence does not support recommendation against antiperspirant/deodorant use during RT.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Oncodermatology Study Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer for their interest and support of this study. V.S. and G.N.M. are joint first authors. P.B., E.C., and T.B. are joint senior authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CyberKnife Center, Istituto Fiorentino di Cura ed Assistenza, Florence, Italy

    Viola Salvestrini

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Gustavo Nader Marta

  3. Cancer Risk Factors and Lifestyle Epidemiology Unit, Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network (ISPO), Florence, Italy

    Saverio Caini

  4. Departments of Dermatology and Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Centre, Rochester, NY, USA

    Julie Ryan Wolf

  5. Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Corina van den Hurk

  6. Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Mara Beveridge

  7. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Henry Lam

  8. Department of Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy

    Pierluigi Bonomo

  9. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Edward Chow

  10. Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Tara Behroozian

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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by V.S., G.N.M., S.C., and T.B. H.L. performed the literature search. The first draft of the manuscript was written by V.S. and G.N.M., and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tara Behroozian.

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Salvestrini, V., Marta, G.N., Caini, S. et al. The effect of antiperspirant and deodorant use on acute radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients during radiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Support Care Cancer 31, 198 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07657-y

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