rash after radiation

blpeda

It has been 9 months since radiation. I only had 16 treatments. Yesterday developed rash on breast just on radiated part. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I still have some swelling and redness on that breast.

70charger

yes it "could" be RRD Radiation Recall Dermatitis. It can be brought on by the suns rays, heat or certain antibiotics. Mine was & is brought on by heat & sun. Mine stays red all the time but is worse when I've been outside or a long drive with the sun beaming thru the windshield. I wear 100% uv protective shirts. Best to get it checked by your RO.

Spoonie77

70Charger is correct, often times it can be brought on by medications, but can occur due to other unknown causes as well (antibiotics, herbal supplements, sun, etc) as was the case in this paper (below).

Best to bring this to your ROs attention asap.

I believe sometimes steroid creams can help, but of course they will let you know best course of action. Good luck. Keep us posted.

Idiopathic Radiation Recall Dermatitis Developing Nine Months after Therapy Cessation

"Radiation recall dermatitis is an acute reaction that occurs in previously irradiated skin following the administration of an aggravating medication. The skin reaction typically develops within a few days of administration of the involved medication. We present a case of idiopathic radiation recall dermatitis that developed nine months after the cessation of chemotherapy with no new medications initiated during the interim. This case suggests that radiation recall dermatitis may have a more complex etiology than originally described. This case also implicates that the fraction size or total radiation dosage might also be important factors in the development of the dermatologic reaction."

Spoonie77

Oh, forgot to add this - the basics and such of Radiation Recall. May help anyone looking, and you of course Blpeda, to get a better understanding of what it entails. Keep us posted on what your RO suggests. Good luck.

What Is Radiation Recall?


Drugs Associated with Radiation REcall:

"Though radiation recall has been reported most commonly with cancer drugs such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and hormonal therapy, other medications, such as antibiotics and even herbal supplements, have been linked with a radiation recall reaction.

Chemotherapy Drugs

Many new chemotherapy drugs have been approved in recent years and it's important to consider radiation recall when someone develops any new symptoms of inflammation while on chemotherapy. The chemotherapy drugs most commonly associated with radiation recall include:

• Adriamycin (doxorubicin)
• Doxil (liposomal doxorubicin)
• Ifex (ifosfamide)
• Taxotere (docetaxel)
• Taxol (paclitaxel)
• Gemzar (gemcitabine)
• 5-FU (fluorouracil)
• Xeloda (capecitabine)
• Cosmegen (dactinomycin)
• Rheumatrex (methotrexate)

Targeted Therapy

Only recently recognized is that radiation recall may also occur with the combination of targeted therapies and radiation. Drugs that have been associated with this phenomena include:

• Tarceva (erlotinib)
• Gemzar (gemcitabine)
• Nexavar (sorafenib)
• Cometriq or Cabometzx (cobozantinib)

Since rashes with some tyrosine kinase inhibitors aren't uncommon, it's important to distinguish between these rashes and those related to radiation recall.

Hormonal Therapy

Radiation recall has also been reported with the aromatase inhibitor medication Femara (letrozole) used for breast cancer."