Evaluation of the efficacy of topical cosmetic products in patients with hand-and-foot syndrome undergoing oncological treatments.

BACKGROUND

Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a complication of many anticancer therapies and negatively affects patients' quality of life (QoL). Currently, little data are available on using non-pharmacological skin products as standard therapy for HFS.

AIM: This study aims to investigate whether a specific set of cosmetic products is effective for managing HFS skin side effects in cancer patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This single-arm study involved 53 cancer patients with grade 1 HFS undergoing chemotherapy, targeted, or hormonal treatments at the European Institute of Oncology. The study included a baseline visit and a follow-up visit 45 days later. All enrolled patients were prescribed a set of four cosmetic products for skin treatment. Patients underwent instrumental measurement to evaluate skin hydration and erythema, while their QoL was assessed using the Skindex-16 self-questionnaire. Additionally, physicians clinically evaluated the HFS severity, using the CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) scale and by comparing patient photographs.

RESULTS

No patients worsened. After 45 days, the application of the cosmetic set increased skin hydration by 33% (P < .0001), while skin erythema decreased by 82.9% (P < .0001). Patients also showed a significantly lower mean Skindex-16 score at 45 days (-35.5%, P < .0001) compared to baseline. These findings were associated with clinical improvement in HFS-related skin symptoms in 58.5% of patients.

CONCLUSION

These results show that a set of cosmetic products specific for cancer skin care can effectively manage HFS-related symptoms, resulting in improved QoL for patients, regardless of the anticancer treatment received.