Topical interventions for preventing hand-foot syndrome resulting from antineoplastic therapy: A scoping review

To map topical interventions used to prevent hand-foot syndrome in cancer patients undergoing antineoplastic therapy.

This is a scoping review reported in accordance with the recommendations of PRISMA-ScR (extension for scoping review) and the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual. The searches were carried out in the electronic databases CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, LILACS, LIVIVO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science; and gray literature (Google Scholar, Pro-Quest).

The searches resulted in 12,016 references and the final sample consisted of 45 studies. A total of 42 topical interventions were identified, including: moisturizing creams, corticosteroids, acids, mapisal, silymarin, and henna. However, urea was the most cited intervention (62%). As for the presentations of the interventions, they varied among creams, ointments, gels, hydrocolloids, decoctions, patches, powders, oils, and soaps.

The results allowed reviewing topical interventions, with emphasis on the use of urea and moisturizing creams. However, most of the interventions identified in this review require evaluation in future studies for better understanding of their benefits.