At a recent
meeting of the Italian Association of Oncological Medicine held in Rome delegates
considered in some detail the effects that some of the more modern #cancer
treatments have on the skin, the psychological effects that these #skin
problems can have on the patients and the way in which DermaSilk Therapeutic
Clothing has been shown to help.
Inflammation, dryness, fissures, folliculitis,
nail damage are just a few of side effects affecting the skin of patients undergoing
cancer treatment.
The conference,
entitled “Let’s defend the skin” and organized by the association “Il corpo
ritrovato” at the San Camillo Hospital, in Rome heard from Professor Maria
Concetta Romano, Professor of Dermatological Special Therapies at the
University Tor Vergata of Rome and President of “Il corpo ritrovato” who said: "The skin problems are further suffering
for those who are battling cancer. The new chemotherapeutic and biological drugs,
used to attack the tumor proliferation, slow down the biological functions of the
skin causing severe inflammation”.
The scientific
association “Il corpo ritrovato” has long been active in the fight against skin
problems of those affected by cancer (2.8 million people who have been
diagnosed cancer are living today in Italy) and over 110,000 patients are subjected
to #radiotherapy each year.
To better face
this issue, the association has developed new guidelines for the management of the
skin toxicity in cancer therapies. "The chances of surviving cancer is an
achievement and a reality of our time” - stresses Professor Romano -. “New
therapies, especially anti-Growth Factor (ANTI-EGFR) drugs, have reduced
significantly the mortality but with some side effects. Their toxicity is expressed
mainly on the skin, where the growth factor is highly expressed. The skin damage
contributes to worsen the quality of life in oncological patients, and it could
compromise the therapies’ success if they were discontinued because of side
effects. The same also goes for #radiotherapy.#Radiodermatitis, in fact, is a
kind of sunburn, but much more serious”.
An Italian study
involving the use of underclothing made from medicated silk fibroin (#DermaSilk)
was presented at the conference. The data demonstrated a net improvement of the
skin pathology with 62% of the patients experiencing total remission of the
disorder and a further 38% experiencing partial remission when using DermaSilk
as an underlayer, next to the skin.
“The silk fibroin is soft and smooth, does not irritate the skin and lets
it breathe,” said Professor Romano. “It also promotes the synthesis of collagen
and accelerates tissue regeneration. For all these reasons, the silk fibroin
can restore the proper balance of the skin, often broken by the anti-cancer
treatments. Garments made of medical grade pure silk fibroin are already used
with great success in the treatment of dermatitis and gynecological disorders
such as thrush".
The new
guidelines for the management of skin toxicity were presented at the conference.
"This is an important tool in clinical management” - said Professor Romano
– “which we hope will be expanded to benefit all Italian oncological patients.
More than 80% of them, in fact, are concerned about maintaining their physical
appearance and their social life. For these reasons, we’ve written “Let’s
defend the skin”: a brief guide to answer the many questions of patients, with
helpful and certified advice to handle skin damage, including the loss of hair
and surgical scars". "The collaboration with oncologists is becoming
strong - concludes Pucci Romano -. Only by working closely can the various specialists
find solutions more appropriate and tailored to the specific needs of sick
people."