Mepilex Lite dressings for managing acute radiation dermatitis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a systematic controlled clinical trial

More than 60 % nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving the radical radiotherapy treatment will develop moist desquamation skin reaction at some time during the course of treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Mepilex Lite dressings and the usual care in the healing of postirradiation dermatitis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. This was a randomized controlled trial, and a sample of 88 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who had developed radiation dermatitis was assessed. Comparisons were made regarding parameters related to wound healing, including healing time and wound pain, and also regarding the impact of wound on the patient, including restriction of neck movement, sleep problem, and disturbance in body image. The results showed that radiation-induced dermatitis in the study group (Mepilex Lite, 43 patients) healed in a median of 16 days, which was significantly different from the healing time in the control group (median 23 days, 45 patients; P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were detected between the 2 groups with respect to neck mobility and appearance disturbance. However, Mepilex significantly improved patients’ sleep (P = 0.005). The researchers conclude that Mepilex Lite dressing provides a promising alternative to radiation dermatitis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and is worthy of further research.