Treatment of severe skin rashes induced by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Objective To study the therapeutic effect of glycerine anti-itching lotion,minocycline in combination with nursing intervention on severe skin rashes induced by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors（EGFR-TKIs） in patients with non-small cell lung cancer（NSCLC）.Methods Grade 3 skin rashes induced by erlotinib or gefitinib were treated with oral minocycline（200mg,twice a day） and local application of glycerine anti-itching lotion（3 times a day） in combination with nursing intervention in 28 NSCLC patients.Results Skin rashes were completely disappeared in 10 patients,decreased to grade 1 in 14 patients and to grade 2 in 3 patients,progressed in 1 patient who withdrew from EGFR-TKIs treatment due to exacerbated subjective symptoms.The total effective rate was 96.4%.The HAMA and HAMD scores were significantly higher after intervention than before intervention（P＜0.001）.Conclusion Local application of glycerine anti-itching lotion and oral minocycline in combination with nursing intervention are effective against severe skin rashes induced by EGFR-TKIs.