Onco-dermatologic care and quality of life in cancer patients: Insights from a Middle Eastern cohort.

348 Background: Skin toxicities from cancer therapies are common and often under-addressed in quality care discussions. This study explores the prevalence, management practices, and quality-of-life (QoL) impacts of dermatologic side effects among cancer patients in the Middle east, with a focus on patient-reported outcomes and care gaps. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 143 adult cancer patients, predominantly female (95.1%) and diagnosed with breast cancer (94.4%). Participants completed sociodemographic, clinical, and dermatologic questionnaires, including the Skindex-16—a validated tool assessing QoL across symptom, emotional, and functional domains. Multivariate linear regression identified factors associated with worse QoL. Results: A majority (86%) experienced dermatologic side effects, with alopecia (85.3%), itching (60.8%), and rash (32.9%) being most common. Notably, 78.3% indicated they would consider altering cancer treatment if skin toxicities arose, and 12.6% had their treatment modified due to skin effects. Use of dermo-cosmetic products was high (83.2%), primarily for body care. However, only 29.4% consulted a dermatologist, and 63.6% relied on their oncologist for dermatologic guidance; 41.3% reported turning to social media. Among non-users of dermo-cosmetic products, 43.4% cited lack of healthcare professional guidance as a barrier. Cancer treatment was associated with positive behavioral changes, including increased sunscreen use (75.5%), facial and body moisturizer application, and reduced smoking ( p < 0.005 ). Skindex-16 scores revealed moderate to severe QoL impact in 46.9% of participants, with the symptom domain most affected (mean score: 42.0). Factors associated with worse Skindex-16 total scores are listed in Table 1 (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Dermatologic toxicities are common and affect patient behavior and treatment decisions. Despite widespread use of skin-care products, gaps in professional guidance remain. Integrating onco-dermatologic support into multidisciplinary care can improve quality of life and treatment adherence. Factors associated with worse quality of life scores based on total Skindex-16 (combined symptom, emotional, and functional domains). Total Skindex-16 score Unstandardized B p-value Confidence interval Lower Bound Upper Bound Photosensitivity (yes vs no*) 14.674 <0.001 7.146 22.201 Changes in skin pigmentation (yes vs no*) 10.229 0.007 2.837 17.621 Use of dermo-cosmetics (yes vs no*) 9.910 0.013 2.152 17.668 Stage of cancer (metastasis vs local*) 12.661 0.020 2.053 23.268 History of dermatologic condition (yes vs no*) 8.858 0.011 2.061 15.655 *Reference group.