Can a corticosteroid cream help protect the skin during radiotherapy?

International clinical guidance explained in everyday language for patients and families.

Why was this guidance developed?

Redness, itching, dryness and tenderness can develop during radiotherapy. To improve prevention and early care, an international team from MASCC (the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer), including Gustavo Nader Marta, assessed the evidence from 19 randomised clinical trials and published a clinical practice statement in 2026. The trials primarily involved people receiving radiotherapy for breast or head and neck cancers.

What is the main recommendation?

The statement recommends considering medium-potency topical corticosteroids, such as mometasone furoate 0.1% cream, to prevent dermatitis in selected patients at higher risk. They may also be an option for early redness or dry peeling, provided there is no moist skin breakdown or open wound. This is not a treatment that everyone undergoing radiotherapy automatically needs.

What could this mean for patients?

Before radiotherapy begins, ask your treatment team whether your skin is at higher risk and whether a prescribed corticosteroid cream might be appropriate. If advised, follow their instructions on when to start, how to apply it and when to stop. The skin should be reviewed regularly, ideally every week. If moist peeling, open wounds, ulcers or signs of infection develop, corticosteroids should be stopped and the team should reassess skin care.

What are the important limitations?

This guidance does not mean patients should start using steroid creams on their own. Most trial evidence comes from breast and head and neck radiotherapy; evidence in other treatment sites is less established. The reviewed trials also did not adequately document long-term safety. Choice of product and timing must be tailored to the treated area, skin condition and professional monitoring.

For education only. Do not use corticosteroids on irradiated skin without advice from your treatment team.