PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in the prevention and treatment of radiation dermatitis (RD). METHODS A systematic review was conducted using six databases and the gray… Click to show full abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in the prevention and treatment of radiation dermatitis (RD). METHODS A systematic review was conducted using six databases and the gray literature. We performed a meta-analysis to summarize the effect sizes of response rates (RRs). RESULTS We included seven clinical trials. Breast cancer patients receiving PBMT developed more grade 1 RD than the control group (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.14-2.10, I2 = 51%). PBMT appears to prevent RD grade 2 (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.09-1.23, I2 = 85%) and RD grade 3 (RR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.94, I2 = 0%) with very low certainty of evidence. CONCLUSIONS There is very low certainty of evidence that PBMT was effective in the prevention of RD. However, PBMT showed a significant effect to prevent grade 3 RD in breast cancer patients. Thus, further randomized clinical trials are required to confirm the promising effect of PBMT in RD.
               
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