Sandalwood Oil and Turmeric-Based Cream Prevents Ionizing Radiation-Induced Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Patients: Clinical Study

Abstract

Background: The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the benefit of Vicco turmeric Ayurvedic cream (VTC; Vicco Laboratories, Mumbai, India) sandalwood oil and turmeric-based cream in preventing radiodermatitis in women undergoing curative radiotherapy for their breast cancer. Methods and Materials: The study was an investigator-blinded randomized study with Johnsons Baby Oil (JBO; Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Baddi, India) as a comparator, administered daily from the start of radiation therapy for 5 weeks in women receiving breast radiation therapy, 50 Gy in 2 Gy fractions daily for 5 weeks. The endpoints were to ascertain the delay in the appearance and the degree of severity of dermatitis throughout the study period in accordance to the Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) score. Results: The results indicated that the topical application of VTC delayed and mitigated the radiodermatitis. When compared to the Johnson’s Baby Oil, a significant decrease (p = 0.025) in the incidence of grade 1 was seen at week two, and also in grade 2 and 3 at week 3 (p = 0.003) and week 4 (p = 0.02), respectively, in the VTC cohort. A concomitant decrease in the average severity was also observed at week 2 (p = 0.02), week 3 (p = 0.05) and week 4 (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The results indicate that VTC cream significantly reduces radiation dermatitis when applied to the breast during and after radiation therapy. The result of this study indicates the beneficial effects. Double blind randomized control studies are required to further confirm the beneficial effects of VTC in mitigating radiodermatitis is people undergoing radiation treatment for their cancer.

Curcumin as an anti‐inflammatory agent: Implications to radiotherapy and chemotherapy

“…Using this cream showed that it is able to reduce signs of dermatitis during Weeks 2 and 3. Patients in this study received a total dose equal 50 Gy (2 Gy/day, five times per week) for 5 consecutive weeks (Rao et al, ). Ryan et al () evaluated therapeutic effect of curcumin on radiation‐induced dermatitis in a double‐blind clinical trial study including 30 patients with breast cancer.…”

Plant and Herbal Extracts as Ingredients of Topical Agents in the Prevention and Treatment Radiodermatitis: A Systematic Literature Review

“…In most discussed clinical studies, the assessment was done by a team of experts or the members of the study group. To do this, the assessment tools were: the scale (guidelines) RTOG/EORTC [59,66,67,71,74,75,78,[81][82][83][84][85][86][88][89][90]94,[96][97][98][99], Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria [73], Common Toxicity Criteria [63,64], modified 10-point Catterall scale [65], Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [92] or National Cancer Institute Common Terminology for Adverse Events [96]. Photographs of skin were taken in studies [11,63,72,81,89,90].…”

Topical treatments to reduce severity of radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients-a systematic review

“…Therefore, other herbal contents should be considered in combination treatments like Radioskin 1&2 cream, as this could enhance the positive effects of the medication. Studies have shown statistical significance [p=0.03] of Ayurvedic cream [based on sandalwood oil and turmeric] in reducing the degree of RD, as 15% of BC patients developed no signs of RD at endpoint [23] .…”