Risk factors of dermatitis during radiation for vulvar carcinoma

Abstract

Radiodermatitis, inflammatory lesions of skin and mucosa caused by radiation, is a common adverse effect during the radiation therapy of vulvar carcinoma. The incidence of radiodermatitis is affected by various factors, and the purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors of radiodermatitis in patients with vulvar carcinoma. Patients with vulvar tumors who received radiotherapy from January 2015 to December 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Radiodermatitis was graded according to the grading criteria of the American Center for Radiological Oncology, and then univariate analysis and logistic multivariate regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors of radiodermatitis. A total of 60 eligible patients were enrolled, including 3 (5%), 25 (41.7%), 28 (46.7%), and 4 (6.6%) patients with grade 0, 1, 2, and 3 radiodermatitis, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the incidence of radiodermatitis was significantly correlated with age, therapeutic strategy, pathological stage and radiotherapy dose (p < .05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that age, therapeutic strategy and radiotherapy dose were independent risk factors for radiodermatitis (p < .05). In the current study, we identified the independent risk factors for radiodermatitis in patients with vulvar carcinoma were age, therapeutic strategy and radiotherapy dose, which might be conducive to identify high‐risk patients, so as to adjust their treatment plan in time and reduce the risk of radiation‐induced skin toxicity.