Vavassis, P., Gelinas, M., Chabot Tr, J., & Nguyen-Tân, P. F. (2008). Phase 2 study of silver leaf dressing for treatment of radiation-induced dermatitis in patients receiving radiotherapy to the head and neck. Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 37, 124–129.
To investigate the effectiveness of silver leaf dressings in treating radiation-induced dermatitis compared with the current standard of care (silver sulfadiazine).
Patients presenting with grade 2 or greater skin toxicity within radiation portals were offered the topical treatment of silver sulfadiazine (application three times daily and removed prior to daily radiation) and silver leaf dressing worn constantly (removed only for radiation treatments).
Each patient applied silver leaf dressing on one side of the neck and silver sulfadiazine on the other.
Silver leaf dressing and silver sulfadiazine were each assigned randomly to each side of the patient’s neck.
The study used a quasiexperimental design; patients were used as their own controls.
Silver leaf dressing does not appear to be superior to standard treatment for radiation-induced dermatitis when the RTOG grading system is used.