Key points
- Cancer treatments impact skin and nails.
- Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapies can induce skin reactions.
- Breast cancer that has metastasised to the skin may present as fungating wounds.
Cancer treatments and the impact on skin and nails
Cancer treatment (including chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiation therapy) can affect a person’s skin, and nails, resulting in altered skin pigmentation, and brittle nails.
Treatment-induced skin reactions
Skin changes can be caused by some types of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or targeted therapies. Skin changes can include:
- Redness of hands and feet (Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia)
- Skin rash (acneiform and maculopapular)
- Radiation dermatitis
Skin reactions in metastatic breast cancer
Cancer that has metastasised to the skin cells can result in fungating wounds.
Treatment-induced nail reactions
Cancer treatment can cause onycholysis, where the fingernail or toenail loosens or separates from the nail bed. This side effect can result in pain, distress, disfigurement or infection, and it restricts patients’ daily activities.
A two-year double-blind study looked into the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oncholysis with Polybalm (polyphenol rich natural balm). Those receiving Polybalm reported a profound reduction of chemotherapy-induced nail damage and improvements in nail-related quality of life. Polybalm is available online at polybalm.com.
