title: Evaluation the consistency of location of moist desquamation and skin high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate whether the location of moist desquamation matches high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after breast conservative surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and nine breast cancer patients were enrolled to this study. Their highest skin dose area (the hot spot) was estimated from the treatment planning. We divided the irradiated field into breast; sternal/parasternal; axillary; and inframammary fold areas. The location for moist desquamation was recorded to see if it matches the hot spot. We also analyzed other possible risk factors which may be related to the moist desquamation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight patients with 65 locations developed moist desquamation during the RT course. Patients with larger breast sizes and easy to sweat are two independent risk factors for moist desquamation. The distribution of moist desquamation occurred most in the axillary area. All nine patients with the hot spots located at the axillary area developed moist desquamation at the axillary area, and six out of seven patients with the hot spots located at the inframammary fold developed moist desquamation there. The majority of patients with moist desquamation over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas had the hot spots located at these areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For a patient with moist desquamation, if a hot spot is located at the axillary or inframammary fold areas, it is very likely to have moist desquamation occur there. On the other hand, if moist desquamation occurs over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas, we can highly expect these two areas are also the hot spot locations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, 553 Junxiao Rd, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. limin.sun@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Eng-Yen
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ji-An
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Fan-Yun
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Gia-Hsin
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Min-Jen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tsao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001940:Breast / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000473:pathology; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011855:Radiodermatitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*