# Sun protection during and after cancer treatment

Source: https://onco.cc/protocols/sun-protection-during-and-after-cancer-treatment/  
OnCo record `sun-protection-during-and-after-cancer-treatment` (Protocol). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Some chemotherapy, many targeted and immunotherapy drugs, and radiotherapy make the skin burn more easily; treated skin stays sensitive for years. Stay in the shade at midday, cover up with a wide-brimmed hat and long sleeves, use sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with high UVA protection and reapply it, avoid sunbeds, and ask before putting anything on skin being treated with radiotherapy.

## Summary

No graded guideline sets out sun protection during anticancer treatment; the advice comes from national patient guidance and general sun-safety guidance. NCI's chemotherapy booklet (2023) says chemotherapy can cause sensitivity to the sun even in people with very dark skin, and advises avoiding direct sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, lip balm with SPF, covering clothing and no tanning beds, and protecting skin previously treated with radiotherapy from the sun (radiation recall). NCI's radiotherapy booklet (2021) advises daily protection of the treated area, a broad-brimmed hat and long sleeves, sunscreen that the team may suggest at SPF 30 or higher, no tanning beds, protection continuing after treatment ends, and checking with the team before using sunscreen or other products on the treated skin. Macmillan (2023) says many targeted and immunotherapy drugs make skin sun-sensitive and that radiotherapy skin stays sensitive for many years, especially in the first year. The NHS (2026) recommends shade from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UK from March to October, at least SPF 30 and at least 4-star UVA protection, applied generously and reapplied. The MASCC EGFR inhibitor guideline (2011) includes sunscreen in its preventive rash regimen and recommends avoiding direct sun to prevent dry skin (level III, grade B). The sources differ on the SPF figure (15 in NCI's chemotherapy booklet, 30 in the others).

## Fields

- Kind: Protocol
- Last checked: 2026-11-11
- Also known as: photosensitivity during chemotherapy; sunscreen during cancer treatment; sun protection after radiotherapy; sun sensitivity on targeted therapy; radiation recall sun protection

## Connected records

- protocols: [Driving, flying and travel during cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/protocols/driving-flying-and-travel-during-cancer-treatment/), [Skin and nail care during chemotherapy and targeted therapy](https://onco.cc/protocols/skin-and-nail-care-during-cancer-drug-treatment/)
- terms: [Radiation dermatitis (skin reaction)](https://onco.cc/terms/radiation-dermatitis/), [Sun protection after a skin cancer diagnosis](https://onco.cc/terms/sun-protection-after-skin-cancer/)

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