High-dose vitamin D for the management of toxic erythema of chemotherapy in hospitalized patients

Toxic erythema of chemotherapy (TEC) is the unifying term for the broad spectrum of cutaneous dose-dependent cytotoxic reactions that may occur in patients receiving chemotherapy. In acute cases of TEC, patients can develop severe erythema, pain, swelling and/or blistering, which may require inpatient management. In a case series of 6 hospitalized TEC patients of Northwestern of Northwestern University (Chicago, IL), high-dose vitamin D treament resulted in symptomatic improvement in pain, pruritus, or swelling by the next day and improvement in redness within 1 to 4 days.