Advances in the Prevention and Treatment of Radiation Skin Injury: Mechanisms, Pharmacological Interventions, and Applications of Novel Dressings.

Radiation skin injury (RSI) is a common complication during tumor radiotherapy, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and treatment outcomes. In recent years, with the rapid development of biomedical material technologies, the application of novel dressings in the prevention and treatment of RSI has made remarkable progress. This review summarizes the mechanisms underlying RSI and its prevention and treatment strategies, with a particular focus on the applications of traditional pharmacological interventions and advanced medical dressings in RSI management. In pharmacological interventions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and growth factors have shown potential value, but their stability, bioavailability, and side effects require further clarification and optimization. In the realm of novel dressings, bioactive dressings and smart responsive dressings are current research hotspots. The former promotes tissue repair by delivering bioactive substances, while the latter intelligently adjusts their properties and drug release based on wound conditions (eg, pH, temperature, and enzyme responsiveness). Although these advanced dressings still face challenges in clinical applications, such as cost control, large-scale production, and long-term safety evaluation, their prospects in RSI prevention and treatment are promising with the continuous optimization of fabrication technologies and stabilization strategies. This review aims to provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of RSI and to promote the clinical translation and application of related biomedical materials.