Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether bacterial decolonization of the nares and skin prior to treatment with radiotherapy (RT) for patients with cancers of the head and neck or breast, can prevent high-grade radiation dermatitis (RD) and improve quality of life. This study is being conducted because prior studies from this research group have found bacterial colonization in the nose prior to initiation of RT to be associated with an increased risk of high-grade RD. Patients in the treatment arm will receive pretreatment with mupirocin ointment to the nares and chlorhexidine wash to the body while patients in the control arm will receive standard of care treatment. Bacterial cultures will be taken from the nares and skin, and participants will also complete a quality of life questionnaire before and after RT.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 - Diagnosis of a solid tumor of the breast or head and neck with plans for fractionated radiation therapy (≥ 15 fractions) with curative intent

Exclusion Criteria

  • Prior RT to the region of interest - Existing dermatologic condition affecting the treatment area (eg: atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and non-healing wounds) - Known allergy to chlorhexidine or mupirocin

Study Design

Phase
Phase 2/Phase 3
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Treatment Arm
The purpose of this study is to determine whether bacterial decolonization of the nares and skin prior to treatment with radiotherapy (RT) for patients with cancers of the head and neck or breast, can prevent high-grade radiation dermatitis (RD) and improve quality of life. This study is being conducted because prior studies from this research group have found bacterial colonization in the nose prior to initiation of RT to be associated with an increased risk of high-grade RD. Patients in the treatment arm will receive pretreatment with mupirocin ointment to the nares and chlorhexidine wash to the body while patients in the control arm will receive standard of care treatment. Bacterial cultures will be taken from the nares and skin, and participants will also complete a quality of life questionnaire before and after RT.
  • Drug: Chlorhexidine gluconate solution
    Patients in the intervention arm will receive a decolonization regimen, consisting of intranasal mupirocin ointment to be applied twice daily to the nares and chlorhexidine wash to be used once daily to the body.
  • Drug: Mupirocin Ointment
    Patients in the intervention arm will receive a decolonization regimen, consisting of intranasal mupirocin ointment to be applied twice daily to the nares and chlorhexidine wash to be used once daily to the body.
No Intervention
Control
Patients in the control arm will be treated according to standard of care without any radiation dermatitis prophylaxis.

More Details

Status
Completed
Sponsor
Montefiore Medical Center

Study Contact

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.