Eugenio Del Valle-Espinosa, Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México
María I. Arellano-Mendoza, Dermatology Service, Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”, Mexico City. Mexico
Background: Systemic chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells, affecting many organs, including the skin. Actinic keratoses are premalignant lesions with a high dividing cell rate that may become inflamed with systemic chemotherapy. Objective: To identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with inflammation of actinic keratoses receiving systemic chemotherapy and show treatment options. Methods: We searched the medical databases PUBMED, LILACS, and SciELO with the terms “actinic keratoses” and “chemotherapy.” We gathered epidemiological data from case reports, and we made a table with the most relevant information. Data were analyzed using Epidat 4.2. Results: A total of 21 cases were identified regarding the inflammation of actinic keratoses while using systemic chemotherapy. The mean age of the patients was 67.9 years, with 42.9% of cases occurring in women. The mean time for the lesions to appear was 11.5 days. Lesions mainly occurred in sun-exposed skin, appearing as a pruritic exanthema. Twelve cases were treated with topical steroids with an improvement of the lesions. Conclusions: The inflammation of actinic keratosis while receiving systemic chemotherapy is an adverse event that improves with minimal treatment and topical steroids. There is no need to stop chemotherapy. It is essential to recognize these events to offer appropriate treatment and improve the patients’ quality of life.
Keywords: Actinic keratosis. Chemotherapy. Adverse events.