Correlation of CTCAE and Patient-Reported Breast Radiation Dermatitis Symptoms
Study Overview
This study looks at how the CTCAE scale, used by doctors to grade radiation dermatitis (RD), relates to symptoms reported by patients. It examines the connection between CTCAE scores and patient experiences using two assessment tools: the Skin Symptom Assessment (SSA) and the Radiation-Induced Skin Reaction Assessment Scale (RISRAS).
Research Method
This analysis involved 376 patients from a randomized controlled trial who received either Mepitel Film or standard care for RD prevention. The study focused on the most severe symptom reports from patients and calculated correlations between CTCAE grades (0 to 3) and patient-reported symptoms.
Key Findings
The results showed weak correlations between CTCAE scores and patient-reported skin symptoms in all patient groups (p < 0.05). Both Grade 2 (72 patients) and Grade 3 (24 patients) reported similar levels of moderate-to-severe skin symptoms, with no significant differences between them (p > 0.05). Treatment groups had comparable rates of moderate-to-severe symptoms for most cases.
Conclusions
The study concluded that CTCAE RD scores do not effectively reflect patient experiences with skin symptoms and may not differentiate between severe cases. Therefore, healthcare providers should use patient-reported outcomes along with CTCAE grading in their clinical practice.
Practical Solutions
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