SUPPLEMENT INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE: Skincare for Cancer Patients in Scandinavia

December 2021 | Volume 20 | Issue 12 | Supplement Individual Articles | ss4 | Copyright © December 2021


Published online November 30, 2021

Ada Girnita MD PhD,a Henrik F. Lorentzen MD,b Sampsa Kauppi MD,c Charles W. Lynde MD FRCPC,d Maxwell B. Sauder MD FRCPC DABD,e Henrik Schmidt MD,f Anneke Andriessen PhD,g Andreas Stensvold MD PhDh

aSkin Cancer Center Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm, Sweden
bDepartment of Dermatology and Venerology Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
cPrivate practice, Terveystalo and Epilaser Oy, Finland
dDepartment of Medicine University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Lynderm Research, Markham, ON, Canada
ePrincess Margaret Cancer Centre; Pigmented Lesion Clinic, Toronto Dermatology Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
fDepartment of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
gRadboud UMC, Nijmegen and Andriessen Consultants, Malden, The Netherlands
hOncology Department Oestfold Hospital, Norway

Abstract
Preventive measures, earlier diagnosis, and markedly improved anticancer treatments have resulted in increasingly more patients living with or surviving cancer. Frequently cancer treatment-related cutaneous adverse events (cAEs) occur, which can severely impact patients' quality of life (QoL) and interfere with anticancer treatment outcomes. Currently, cAEs related to anticancer treatment may be under-appreciated to prevent or provide early and effective treatment. The Nordic European Cutaneous Oncodermatology Management (NECOM) project explored clinical insights in cAEs and focused on skincare regimens involving hygiene, moisturization, sun protection, and camouflage products. The NECOM panel discussed and reached a consensus on evidence and opinion-based best practice recommendations for oncology skincare programs to support all stakeholders in the Nordic European healthcare setting working with oncology patients throughout the entire continuum of care achieve optimal outcomes, improving patients' QoL.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20:12(Suppl):s4-14.

INTRODUCTION

The estimated global incidence of cancer per 100,000 population in 2020 in Denmark is 350, Norway 325, Sweden 285, Finland 270, and Iceland 260.1 The four most commonly diagnosed cancers in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway are lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.1 In 2020, these four cancer types accounted for almost half of all cancer diagnoses (175,925) in the Nordic European countries.1 These statistics exclude skin cancer, which, according to the Swedish National Cancer register, comes in third place after breast and prostate cancer. Basal cell cancer accounts yearly for more than breast and prostate cancer together with over 50,000 new cases versus 10,000 and 9,000 cases, respectively. Increasingly, more patients live with or survive cancer due to an early diagnosis and an improved quality of cancer treatment.2 In the Nordic European countries in 2010, the relative survival percentage of males and females in Sweden was 70% and 69%, in Finland 65% and 68%, Denmark 62% and 65%, and in Norway for either gender, 69%.2

The choice of anticancer treatment depends on the type and stage of cancer and patient-related factors.3 Anticancer treatments comprise surgery, radiation, transplantation, and systemic therapies or combinations of these treatments.3 Systemic treatment includes chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormonal therapy.3

Frequently cancer treatment-related cutaneous adverse events (cAEs) occur, which can be severe and bothersome to patients.4-10 Tactile exchange may be altered due to cAEs, impeding interpersonal and emotional life, severely affecting
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