Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a frequently occurring, often dose limiting, dermatologic reaction associated with cytotoxic agents, such as capecitabine, liposomal doxorubicin, and doxetacel.
Adverse events affecting the integument have posed significant challenges to oncologists in recent years in terms of selecting appropriate supportive therapies. Not only medications that inhibit EGFR receptors such as erlotinib, gefitinib, panitumumab or cetuximab, but also multiple-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sunitinib and sorafenib and other "older" medications such as capecitabine can often lead to skin-related adverse events that can be difficult to manage.
These adverse events compromise skin-related quality of life and can lead to dose compromises or even the termination of treatment.
To date, there are no side effects reported for the use of either Mapisal® or urea hand-foot cream, making both treatments safe. Given the potential benefits of the treatments in preventing HFS by reducing discomfort and impairment of quality of life, the conduct of the trial is regarded as justifiable and there is no indication that patients are exposed to an increased risk associated with study participation.
