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Development and evaluation of a novel water-based pigment marker for radiation therapy skin marking

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Abstract

Skin marks are widely used in external radiation therapy to ensure the accuracy of the irradiation position. However, conventional skin markers contain harmful substance, so we developed an alternative skin marker. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a novel water-based pigment marker comprising safe materials commonly used in cosmetics for clinical radiation therapy. We investigated various properties of the marker, namely marker longevity, color variety, line visibility, ink bleeding, and line durability, and improved the marker in response to the feel when drawing or being drawn on. The durability of the ink was evaluated by simultaneously applying the new marker and oil-based pen and comparing the period until the marks faded and became invisible. In clinical trial, we applied marks on the skin of 56 patients over three months to observe symptoms and visible changes in the skin. There were no complications of discomfort or pain, owing to the improvements in the marker tip. The marks drawn on the arms of volunteers with the new marker and the oil-based pen remained visible for a mean of 7.2 days and 3.6 days, respectively (P value < 0.001). The percentages of participants with no symptoms and no visible changes were 100%, respectively. We developed an alternative skin marker that complies with current regulatory standards by excluding crystal violet. The newly developed marker has features suitable for clinical use, such as resistance to smudging and water, marker tip shape and texture, and color variations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Hiromi Murakami, Mr. Masafumi Shigita, and Mr. Yoshito Kadowaki for their best support. We thank Ashleigh Cooper, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported partly by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI [Grant Number 23K07194].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical Radiology Service, Okayama Central Hospital, 6-3, Ishimakitamachi, Kitaku, Okayama, 700-0017, Japan

    Shinichi Nakayama & Hajime Monzen

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Okayama Central Hospital, 6-3, Ishimakitamachi, Kitaku, Okayama, 700-0017, Japan

    Miduki Hirose & Soichiro Kaneshige

  3. Department of Medical Physics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kindai University, 377-2, Onohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Kenji Nakamura & Hajime Monzen

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2, Onohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Yukinori Matsuo

Authors
  1. Shinichi Nakayama
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  2. Miduki Hirose
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  3. Soichiro Kaneshige
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  4. Kenji Nakamura
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  5. Yukinori Matsuo
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  6. Hajime Monzen
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Contributions

HM conceptualized the data. SN, HM, and MH designed the methodology. MH, SK, and SN involved in formal analysis and investigated the data. SN wrote and prepared the original draft. KN and HM wrote, reviewed, and edited the article. HM acquired the funding. YM supervised the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hajime Monzen.

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Conflict of interest

Hajime Monzen received a research donation from Hayakawa Rubber Co., Ltd.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Okayama Central Hospital on January 27, 2023.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Nakayama, S., Hirose, M., Kaneshige, S. et al. Development and evaluation of a novel water-based pigment marker for radiation therapy skin marking. Radiol Phys Technol 16, 543–551 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-023-00743-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-023-00743-0

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