Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSDrinking wine may reduce skin toxicity in breast cancer patients
Patients with breast cancer who drink wine while undergoing radiation treatment have a lower incidence of skin toxicity, latest study results suggest.
Italian researchers studied 348 breast cancer patients to determine if the natural antioxidants in wine would have a radioprotective effect. All the patients were undergoing a course of radiation therapy following surgery.
The researchers found that the patients who did not drink any wine had a higher incidence of Grade two or higher acute skin toxicity – 38.4% compared to 13.6% of those who drank one glass of wine per day.
However, the study also found that drinking too much or too little wine could have an impact on skin toxicity, with an incidence of 31.8% in patients drinking half a glass of wine per day, and 35% in those drinking two glasses per day.
‘The possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions can reduce radiation-induced toxicity is very intriguing,’ the authors said.
‘Our results do indicate that wine may have a radioprotective effect. However, prospective studies are needed to confirm this beneficial effect of wine and its components,’ they added in the Journal of Radiation Oncology *Biology* Physics.
Online training units, written and reviewed by experts. Earn two hours' CPD and a personalised certificate for your portfolio.
Subscribers get five FREE learning units and non-subscribers can access each learning unit for £10 + VAT.
Share
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment.