Incidence and severity of acute radiation induced toxicities among breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant radiotherapy at a major cancer treatment center in Ghana
K.A. Kyei , J. Daniels , F. Pratt-Ainooson , S. Anim-Sampong , E.O. Nkansah , K.A. Amoabeng , W.K. Antwi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Adjuvant radiotherapy after mastectomy or breast conserving surgery (BCS) is the standard of care for majority of patients with breast cancer. This is however associated with mucosal and epidermal toxicity of organs at risk (OARs). Breast cancer patients are exposed to a plethora of wrong perceptions, misinformation and myths concerning the usefulness and adverse effects of radiotherapy. There is paucity of literature on the incidence and severity of radiation-induced acute toxicities experienced by patients with breast cancer in Ghana.
Aim
To assess the occurrence and severity of four main acute radiation-induced toxicities among female breast cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy at a major cancer treatment centre in Ghana.
Methods
Data on the occurrence of acute toxicities among patients was collected from patients' medical records, through a semi-structured questionnaire and via weekly clinical assessments. The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grading scale (version 4.0) was used to grade the severity of these toxicities. Descriptive and inferential statistics using an independent two-sampled t-test (two-tailed), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed.
Results
Dermatitis, fatigue, pharyngitis, and breast (chest) pain were the radiation toxicities found among the breast cancer patients undergoing treatment on the two machines. The mean predominant radiation doses associated with the onset of dermatitis, fatigue, pharyngitis, and chest pain in the breast cancer patients were 22.32 Gy, 22.48 Gy, 13.59 Gy, and 19.27 Gy respectively for treatment with a statistically significant (p = 0.0173). Radiation dermatitis was the most dominant acute radiation toxicity recorded, and its incidence and severity. The range of Fisher's p-values (0.689–0.999) between the acute radiation toxicities with both machines revealed no statistical significance.
Conclusion
Radiation dermatitis was the dominant acute toxicity, both in incidence and severity for patients treated. There was no statistical significance in the incidence and severity of acute radiation side effects.
期刊介绍:
Translational Oncology publishes the results of novel research investigations which bridge the laboratory and clinical settings including risk assessment, cellular and molecular characterization, prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of human cancers with the overall goal of improving the clinical care of oncology patients. Translational Oncology will publish laboratory studies of novel therapeutic interventions as well as clinical trials which evaluate new treatment paradigms for cancer. Peer reviewed manuscript types include Original Reports, Reviews and Editorials.