Radiation oncology in skin cancer treatment

Abstract

Radiation was first used to treat a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the nose in 1900. Following the development of improved dermatologic and surgical techniques in the 1950s, the role for radiation in the treatment of skin cancer gradually decreased.1 However, there remain certain settings in which radiation offers advantages over other currently available modalities. The goals of this chapter are to review the current indications for the use of radiation in the treatment of skin cancer, the techniques commonly employed in modern radiotherapy, the role of radiation in the treatment of specific skin malignancies, and the complications that arise from the use of radiation to treat skin cancers. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.