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Description
Itching, also called pruritus, is an unpleasant sensation of the skin that causes a person to scratch or rub the area to find relief. Itching can be confined to one spot (localized) or over the whole body (generalized). Severe scratching can injure the skin causing redness, bumps, and scratches. Injured skin is prone to infection.
Itching can profoundly affect quality of life. It can torment the patient and cause discomfort, stress, loss of sleep, concentration difficulty, and constant concern.
Causes
The biology underlying itching is not fully understood. It is believed that itching results from the interactions of several different chemical messengers. Although they are quite different sensations, itch and pain signals are sent along the same nerve pathways.
Itching is associated with a variety of factors including skin diseases, blood diseases, emotions, and drug
General medications, which may be used by cancer patients, can cause itching. Itching can be caused by drug reactions from antibiotics, corticosteroids, hormones, and pain relievers (analgesics).
Itching can be a sign that the patient is very sensitive to a particular chemotherapy drug. Chemotherapy drugs and biological response modifiers that can cause itching include:
- allopurinol
- aminoglutethimide
- bleomycin
- carmustine
- chlorambucil
- cyclophosphamide
- cytarabine
- daunorubicin
- doxorubicin
- hydroxyurea
- idarubicin
- interleukin (aldesleukin)
- mechlorethamine
- megestrol acetate
- mitomycin-C
- tamoxifen
Itching commonly occurs during radiation therapy. Parts of the body that are particularly sensitive to radiation are the underarms, groin, abdomen, breasts, buttocks, and skin around the genitals (perineum) and anus (perianal). Itching is usually caused by skin dryness when the oil (sebaceous) glands are damaged by the radiation. Radiation also causes skin darkening, redness, and skin shedding, which can all cause itching.
Itching caused by cancer usually disappears once the cancer is in remission or cured. Chemotherapy-induced itching usually disappears within 30 to 90 minutes after the drug has been administered. Itching caused by radiation therapy will resolve once the injured skin has healed.
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Author Info: Belinda Rowland Ph.D., The Gale Group Inc., Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, 2002 |
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