Anticancer therapies associated with secondary cutaneous malignancies: A review of the literature.

Abstract

Recent advancements in anticancer therapy have produced an array of highly specialized therapeutics that prolong disease-free survival, improve tolerability of treatment, and individualize care. With improved treatments and longer survival, treatment-related toxicities are gaining importance. Dermatologic toxicities are common, with therapy-induced secondary cutaneous malignancies of the most frequent and serious for targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. Often, these eruptive malignant lesions can be treatment limiting and detrimental to quality of life. As such, dermatologists play an important role in multidisciplinary oncologic care teams for surveillance and management of secondary cutaneous malignancies. Proactive dermatologic supervision yields early diagnosis and treatment of secondary cutaneous malignancies, which limits therapy discontinuation and thus optimizes treatment through both therapeutic achievement and overall well-being.