Perlmutter Cancer Center

The purpose of this study is to objectively evaluate skin color changes during and after standard of care breast or chest wall radiotherapy using spectrophotometry in parallel with the standard of care subjective physician-graded measures of skin toxicity in order to determine if one can obtain changes indicative of radiation dermatitis at earlier time points during radiotherapy and evaluate how skin color changes during and after radiotherapy correlate with baseline skin pigmentation.

Using this technology, we aim to reliably describe the skin color changes during and after radiation therapy in breast cancer patients, including patients with skin of color. We also seek to evaluate the association between skin color changes during treatment and after treatment with clinical outcomes related to skin toxicity including: standard of care physician- reported radiation skin toxicity and the use of standard of care clinical interventions for skin toxicity.