Photobiomodulation in Preventing Radiotherapy-Induced Dermatitis: A Systematic Review

Radiodermatitis (RD) is a major side effect after radiotherapy (RT). It has negative effect on patient’s quality of life. Recent studies have explored the use of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in preventing or reducing the incidence of RD. The present study systematically reviews existing literature on PMBT with regards to protection against RD. A systematic search of the electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Google Scholar was conducted to retrieve articles on the protective effect of PBMT against RD. The search timeframe ranged from the inception of each database to date. From an initial search of 647 articles, and after removal of duplicates as well as applying the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were finally included for this systematic review. All included studies were clinical, with their results showing promising protective effect of PBMT against RD. Furthermore, no adverse effect was observed in patients after administering PBMT. PBMT showed potentials to protect against RD while improving patient’s quality of life. However, further studies would need to address grey areas such as optimization of PBMT treatment parameters, long time of application and small sample size.