TOPIC
SEARCH: Web
Skin
Problems | Shingles | Quick
Reference | Resources & Research News
Rashes
and dry skin are common
occurrences for patients receiving chemo or radiation therapy.
They can be alarming to the patient, but will often resolve after a
time.
NOTE: Rashes can result as a side effect of
some treatments, be a symptom of lymphoma, or be unrelated to the
disease or treatment. Skin
Rashes and Other Changes The location, appearance and color of a
rash will help your doctor make the diagnosis. Look for care
suggestions on this chart for common rashes.
Common causes of
rashes include:
Allergies to
medications may present as skin rashes.
Note: "Allergic reactions produce an array of symptoms that
affect the skin, airways, and heart -- usually within an hour of
exposure." [1] Allergic reactions can be serious and life
threatening in some cases.
Depressed immunity
- a common side effect of many cancer treatments - can also
predispose you to skin infections
such as cellulites, or reactivation of dormant viral infections such
as Herpes Zoster (Shingles).
Note:
Lymphomas can also be originate or spread to the
skin.
See Extranodal > Cutaneous
(B cell and T cell Lymphomas.
The later provides images, but it should be noted that only a
biopsy can diagnose a lymphoma with certainty.
Shingles:
What
is shingles? "Shingles (herpes zoster) is an
outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same
virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. The first
sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes
numbness or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the
body. After several days or a week, a rash of fluid-filled blisters,
similar to chickenpox, appears in one area on one side of the
body.
Shingles pain can be mild or intense. Some people have mostly
itching; some feel pain from the gentlest touch or breeze. The
most common location for shingles is a band, called a dermatome,
spanning one side of the trunk around the waistline. Anyone who has
had chickenpox is at risk for shingles.
Scientists think that in the original battle with
the varicella-zoster virus, some of the virus particles leave the skin
blisters and move into the nervous system. When the varicella-zoster
virus reactivates, the virus moves back down the long nerve fibers
that extend from the sensory cell bodies to the skin. The
viruses multiply, the tell-tale rash erupts, and the person now has
shingles." - ninds.nih.gov
It's
very important to recognize and treat shingles early to limit the
severity of the infection. See Patient education for self-referral and
on-demand treatment for herpes zoster in lymphoma patients. Leuk
Lymphoma. 1993 Nov;11(5-6):447-52. PMID:
8124217 and related
abstracts
Common sites for shingles
(click to enlarge image
on http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk
)
The nerve roots that supply sensation to your skin run in pathways on each
side of your body. When the virus becomes reactivated, it travels up the
nerve roots to the band-like area of skin supplied by those specific nerve
roots.
Shingles develops in stages:
| Prodromal stage (before the rash appears) |
| - |
Headache, sensitivity to light |
| - |
Flu-like symptoms (chills,
stomach ache, diarrhea) without a fever - may develop just before or along with the start of the
rash. |
| - |
Itching, tingling, tickling,
numbness or extreme pain in the area around the affected nerves several days before a rash begins. |
|
Active stage (rash and blisters appear) |
| - |
belt-shaped or band-like rash - the clearest sign of shingles. |
| - |
The rash appears on only one side of your body, usually the
chest or back, and sometimes on your face around one eye, which may threaten your sight unless you
receive prompt treatment. |
| - |
A rash consisting of small fluid-filled blisters develops on reddened skin
on one side of your body. |
| - |
Fluid inside the blister is initially clear but
may become cloudy after 3 to 4 days. |
| - |
The rash caused by shingles is more painful than itchy. |
| - |
The discomfort occurs on a single side of the body, commonly on the chest
or back, but it may occur on the abdomen, head, face, neck, or one arm or leg. |
Table information adapted from WebMD
Treatment for shingles?
"The severity and duration of an
attack of shingles can be significantly reduced by immediate
treatment with antiviral drugs, which include
Resources:
TOPIC SEARCH:
ASCO
| ASH
| Medscape
