Radiation-induced skin cancer and radiodermatitis of the head and neck

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Abstract
From a cohort of 2400 patients who had been irradiated 19 to 48 years previously for benign diseases in the head and neck region a randomly selected group of 605 patients was selected and traced back. From the 360 patients alive, 257 were examined clinically and 49 were examined by questionnaire for radiation‐induced skin tumors and radiodermatitis. In 21 patients, a total of 30 skin tumors were diagnosed. In 8 of 21 patients, 10 skin carcinomas were detected at recall. A dose‐effect relationship of 40 carcinomas/104 persons/Gy for a median follow‐up period of 41 years for the area exposed was calculated. The severity of radiodermatitis is associated with a higher prevalence of skin cancer. The number of radiation‐induced skin cancers rises with the post‐treatment time. Because of these late radiation effects, radiotherapy of benign skin lesions is contraindicated, especially now that other therapy modalities are available.