Effect of melatonin cream on acute radiation dermatitis in patients with primary breast cancer: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Aim: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study investigating whether melatonin can protect against radiation dermatitis in women receiving radiation therapy for primary breast cancer.

Methods: Patients were included before radiation therapy and followed once weekly throughout treatment with a 3-week follow-up. Patients applied 1 g of cream to the irradiated skin twice daily, consisting of either 25 mg/g melatonin and 150 mg/g dimethyl sulfoxide, or placebo.

Quality-of-life outcomes following topical melatonin application against acute radiation dermatitis in patients with early breast cancer: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study was to investigate whether topical melatonin administered during radiation therapy could increase the quality of life in patients with primary breast cancer. Patients were followed from the first radiation fraction until 3 weeks after the last. The patients applied 1 g of cream to the irradiated area of the skin twice daily, consisting of either 25 mg/g melatonin and 150 mg/g dimethyl sulfoxide, or a placebo cream.

Most Cochrane reviews have not been updated for more than 5 years.

Aim: Cochrane reviews are internationally recognized for their high quality, but to reduce the risk of transmitting misleading information, they must be kept up to date. The aim of this study was to quantify the number of reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) that have not been updated for more than five years and to characterize them.

Method: This study was reported closely adapted to the STROBE guidelines.