• Takahiro Arai, Yukiyoshi Fujita, Hisao Imai, Hiroe Matsumoto, Miho Yamazaki, Eriko Hiruta, Yuka Suzuki, Hitoshi Ojima, Hisashi Hosaka, Koichi Minato, and Taeko Saito.
• Division of Pharmacy, Gunma Prefectural Cancer Center, Ota 373-8550, Gunma, Japan.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Aug 4; 57 (8).

AbstractBackground and Objectives: Seasonal climatic changes may affect the development of the rash that is characteristic of treatment with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies. We evaluated the association between seasons and rash incidence among patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: Data from patients with colorectal or head and neck cancer treated with cetuximab or panitumumab during summer (S group; n = 34) or winter (W group; n = 37) between June 2014 and February 2019 were collected to retrospectively examine patient characteristics and rash incidence ≤ 8 weeks after treatment initiation. Results: Rashes were observed in 73.5% (n = 25) and 78.4% (n = 29) and grade 3 rashes were observed in 17.6% (n = 6) and 2.7% (n = 1) of the patients in the S and W groups, respectively. The incidence of grade ≥ 2 rashes in males in the S group was higher than that in the rest of the patient groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The higher incidence of skin rashes in males during summer might be attributed to the effects of ultraviolet light, lack of skincare, male hormones, and secretion of anti-EGFR antibodies in sweat. These findings highlight the need for research on preventive measures for such rashes.

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