Recent research reveals that cancer patients with darker skin tones are more susceptible to severe cases of a painful side effect of radiotherapy, partially due to the limitations of the tool currently used to detect the condition, which is more effective in patients with lighter skin.
Each year, over four million U.S. patients undergo radiation therapy, and more than 90% of them experience radiation dermatitis, a form of skin burn. The main screening tool, approved by the National Cancer Institute to detect and assess the severity of this condition, relies on identifying skin reddening.
In this study, researchers monitored 60 racially diverse breast cancer patients for radiation dermatitis throughout a year of radiotherapy, using a spectrophotometer – a device typically used in industries like paint and cosmetics to analyze color.
