Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for prevention and management of anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (mAb)–induced cutaneous adverse reactions in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): A retrospective analysis.
Retrospective analysis evaluates TCM's impact on skin reactions in mCRC patients undergoing cetuximab, indicating potential benefits.
Key Points
To explore the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine in preventing and managing skin reactions caused by anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Retrospective analysis of mCRC patients treated with cetuximab from 2022 to 2025
35 patients were enrolled, divided into TCM (n=25) and non-TCM (n=10) arms
Primary endpoint was incidence of cutaneous adverse reactions assessed via Fisher’s exact test.
Incidence of any grade skin reactions was significantly lower in the TCM arm (20.0%) compared to the non-TCM arm (60.0%, p=0.041)
In elderly patients (≥65 years), skin reaction rates were 21.4% in the TCM arm and 66.7% in the non-TCM arm
Overall incidence of skin reactions in the cohort was 31.4%, with severe reactions at 8.6%.