Background: Althoughpre-emptive therapy with oral tetracycline, moisturizer, sunscreen and topical corticosteroid isuseful for preventing acneiform eruption (AfE) due to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, no studies have examinedthe efficacy of topical corticosteroids themselves, or investigated the optimal strength of the corticosteroid for treating facial AfE (FAfE).
Patients and Methods: Screened patients with RAS wild-typecolorectal cancerstarted pre-emptive therapy with oral minocycline and moisturizeron initiation of cetuximab or panitumumab therapy. Patients who developed grade 1 or 2 FAfEwere randomly allocated to two groups:a ranking-down (RD) group,started with a very strong corticosteroid, and serially ranked down every 2 weeks unless FAfE exacerbated, and a ranking-up (RU) group, started with a weak corticosteroid and serially ranked up at exacerbation. FAfE grade, patient quality of life, and adverse events (AEs) with topical corticosteroid were evaluated every 2 weeks.The primary endpoint was the total number of times grade 2 or higher FAfEidentified in thecentral review of the 8-weektreatment period.
Results: No significant differences in total numbers of grade 2 or higher FAfE and inAEs caused by topical corticosteroids were observedbetweengroups during the 8-week. Incidence of grade 2 or higher FAfEwas tended to lower inthe RD group during the first 2 weeks.
Conclusion: Considering long-term care of FAfE, the RU regimen appears suitableand should be considered the standard treatment for FAfEdue to EGFR inhibitor therapy.
Trial registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000024113)