Skin protection by sucralfate cream during electron beam therapy

Acute skin reactions, such as erythema and moist desquamation, constitute major problems during radiotherapy of superficially located tumours. There are no drugs available for the skin care. Sucralfate, a widely used anti-ulcer drug, has anti-inflammatory properties, and it activates cell proliferation. Based on these data and our previous experience of sucralfate cream on the aging skin we performed a double-blind randomized study to compare the efficacy of sucralfate cream to a base cream in 50 breast cancer patients receiving postoperative electron beam therapy to their chest wall. The acute radiation reaction of the skin was statistically significantly prevented by the sucralfate cream. The recovery of the skin was also significantly faster in the sucralfate cream group. Side-effects due to the cream were rare.