Radiation-irritated skin and hyperpigmentation may impact the quality of life of breast cancer patients after whole breast radiotherapy

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate skin condition, quality of life, and psychological impact of breast cancer patients after radiation therapy. We designed and administered a questionnaire to breast cancer survivors for better understanding the skin sequelae after radiation therapy. METHODS: This study performed an anonymous online survey. Invitation join was posted in Facebook groups for Breast Cancer. Content of the questionnaire included basic information and a three-point scale on the degree of skin dryness, sweating, hotness sensation, itchy sensation, presence of pigment deposition, history of severe skin disorder, psychological impact, and quality of life after radiotherapy. Categorical variables were summarized using counts and percentages, and then Mantel–Haenszel chi-square tests, multiple correspondence analysis, Wald chi-square statistics, and logistic regression analyses were performed; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In total, 421 breast cancer survivors completed the questionnaire. Among them, 331 (78.62%) reported rarely sweating; 340 (80.76%) reported dry skin; 184 (43.71%) reported itchy skin in addition to dry skin; 336 (79.81%) had severe or mild skin color deposition; and 76 (18.05%) had eczema or contact dermatitis. Dry skin problems were caused by absent sweating and skin dryness in the irradiated skin area, post-RT severe skin disorders, and skin color deposition. Compared with patients sweating normally in the radiation field, patients with absent sweating and hotness sensation in the radiation field had a higher risk of depression. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that breast cancer patients after whole breast radiotherapy may experience skin dryness, hypersensitivity and hyper pigmentation in the irradiated skin area. These “radiation-irritated skin” lesions may induce depressive psychological status and impact the quality of life in breast cancer patients after whole breast radiotherapy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08047-5.