Managing Skin Side Effects Associated With Oncology Treatments: Asian Perspective on Use of Dermocosmetics

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

Skin adverse events frequently accompany anticancer therapies across chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormonal approaches. Although skin toxicities often follow recognizable patterns globally, presentations may differ in Asian populations due to variations in skin sensitivity and related factors. The review emphasizes proactive education for healthcare professionals and patients to identify, prevent, and manage skin AEs, supporting comfort, self-image, and psychological coping. It outlines how dermocosmetics can complement medical treatments and be integrated within multidisciplinary oncology care, adapting guidance to North Asia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Skin adverse events across systemic anticancer treatments

Examples of skin toxicities by therapy class

Need for multidisciplinary collaboration

Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology REVIEW Managing Skin Side Effects Associated With Oncology Treatments: Asian Perspective on Use of Dermocosmetics Meng Pan1 Jianguo Sun2 Makoto Kawashima3 You Chan Kim4 Mison Chun5 Chia-Yu Chu6 Yi-Hsin Liang7 Mee Chang8 Delphine Kerob9 Brigitte Dreno10 1 Department of Dermatology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 2 Cancer Institute, Xianqiao Hospital, Army Military Medical University, Chongqing, China 3Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan 4 Department of Dermatology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea 5Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea 6 Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan 7National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan 8 Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong 9 La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique, Paris, France 10Nantes University, Nantes, France Correspondence: Delphine Kerob ([delphine.kerob@aphp.fr](delphine.kerob@aphp.fr)) Accepted: 7 January 2026 Keywords: cancer treatment | cosmeceuticals | dermocosmetics | oncology | skin toxicities ABSTRACT Skin adverse events (AEs) frequently accompany all types of anticancer treatments. The type and course of these skin AEs with different cancer treatments have been described and may be considered to generally have a similar pattern in differing world regions. However, some populations, including Asian populations, may have presentations that vary somewhat based on skin sensitivity and other factors. Education of both healthcare professionals and patients about how to identify, prevent, and manage these skin AEs is imperative in this era when not only is cancer on the rise but also there are longer life expectancies due to new, improved treatment approaches. Maintaining a good quality of life is a key target in oncology management, and skin AEs can have a profound effect on patient comfort, patient self-image, and psychological ability to cope. Today, proactive skincare regimens, including dermocosmetics, can be put in place to minimize potential for AEs. If skin AEs occur, dermocosmetics maybe employed alone or to augment the effects of medical treatments. Optimally, cancer patients should be managed by a multidisciplinary team with knowledge of skin and treatment-related AEs. This publication discusses how recent international guidance on best-practices use of dermocosmetics can be adapted to the North Asia region (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan) . 1 Introduction There is a wide and rapidly expanding variety of systemic anticancer treatments, including conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and hormonal therapies. All types of anticancer treatments are associated with adverse events (AEs), including a large proportion of skin AEs [1– 3] . Examples include those associated with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFR-I), which encompass acneiform rash, xerosis (sometimes with pruritus), paronychia, fissures, and trichomegaly [2, 4] . A recent study of Chinese patients (n = 266) treated with the tyrosinase kinase inhibitor fruquintinib showed that hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR)was the second most common treatment-related AE, occurring in 49.3% of patients [5]. Further, a relatively high proportion (10.5%) of those patients had AEs that were serious (grade 3 or higher) [5] . Currently, the majority of cancer patients (up to 93%) develop skin AEs associated with their cancer treatment and a large proportion experience treatment interruption (as exemplified by the finding that up to 76% of doctors treating patients with EGFR-I have to This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in

FAQs

Why are skin adverse events important in oncology care?

Skin AEs commonly accompany anticancer treatments and can significantly affect patient comfort, self-image, and psychological ability to cope. They also contribute to treatment interruptions, dose decreases, or discontinuation in many cases.

How can dermocosmetics help manage skin adverse events?

Proactive skincare regimens using dermocosmetics can help minimize potential AEs. If skin AEs occur, dermocosmetics may be used alone or to augment the effects of medical treatments.

What does the review suggest about adapting guidance for Asian populations?

It highlights that Asian populations may show somewhat different presentations influenced by skin sensitivity and other factors. The publication discusses how international best-practice guidance for dermocosmetics use can be adapted to the North Asia region.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Angel