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The efficacy of Pistacia Terebinthus soap in the treatment of cetuximab-induced skin toxicity

  • PHASE II STUDIES
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Summary

This open-labeled phase II, efficacy-finding study evaluated the efficiency and safety of Pistacia terebinthus soap in metastatic colorectal cancer patients who developed cetuximab induced skin toxicity. Patients who received cetuximab plus chemotherapy and developed Grade 2 or 3 skin toxicity were treated twice daily with a soap made of oil extracted from Pistacia terebinthus. During treatment, no topical or oral antibiotics, corticosteroids or other moisturizers were used. Patients were examined 1 week later and their photographs were taken. Fifteen mCRC patients who developed skin toxicity while receiving first-line CTX in combination with chemotherapy were included into the study. Eight patients were male and the median age was 58 (25–70). Sixty percent of the patients (n:9) had Grade 3 skin toxicity. Complete response rates in patients with Grade 2 and Grade 3 skin toxicities were 100 and 33 %, respectively. In the remaining patients with Grade 3 toxicity the skin toxicity regressed to Grade 1. The objective response rate was 100 %, and no delay, dose reduction or discontinuation of CTX treatment due to skin toxicity was necessary. Skin toxicity reoccurred in all patients when patients stopped administering the soap and therefore they used it throughout the cetuximab treatment. Pistacia terebinthus soap seemed to be used safely and effectively in the treatment of skin toxicity induced by Cetuximab.

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Acknowledgments

This work has no funding source.

Ethical standards

The study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (5th revision, October 2000) of the World Medical Association and approved by the National Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Turkey. All patients signed informed consent forms.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Istanbul University, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey

    Didem Tastekin & Kayhan Erturk

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Oncology, Istanbul University, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey

    Makbule Tambas

  3. Department of General Surgery, Kartal Educational and Research Hospital, Kartal, 34890, Istanbul, Turkey

    Kemal Kilic

  4. Department of Medical Oncology, Regional Research and Education Hospital, 25240, Erzurum, Turkey

    Deniz Arslan

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  1. Didem Tastekin
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  2. Makbule Tambas
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Correspondence to Didem Tastekin.

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Tastekin, D., Tambas, M., Kilic, K. et al. The efficacy of Pistacia Terebinthus soap in the treatment of cetuximab-induced skin toxicity. Invest New Drugs 32, 1295–1300 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10637-014-0128-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10637-014-0128-z

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