What is the current role of radiation therapy in the treatment of skin carcinomas?
OBJECTIVE
In recent years several radiation therapy units have recorded a decline in the number of referrals for the treatment of skin carcinomas. This study aims to ascertain whether this decline has also affected the radiation therapy unit of Trieste and, if so, to consider the possible reasons.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed all cases of non-melanoma skin cancer treated in our unit from January 1986 to December 1999. A database was created that would allow rapid and controlled data entry and a sufficiently simple query system.


RESULTS
The total number of irradiated skin cancers was 2,219:1,863 basal cell carcinomas, 276 squamous cell carcinomas, and 80 basosquamous carcinomas. The distribution curves for the number of cases treated every year were similar: each of the three types showed a slow and gradual reduction in the number of patients referred for radiotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
For most authors surgery remains the treatment of choice for skin carcinomas. However, radiation therapy can also yield excellent results in terms of local control, cosmesis and functionality. In our view the indications for radiation therapy are poor general health, elderly age, the presence of diseases that are a contraindication for surgery, location of the tumor in the head region, and tumor size between 1 and 5 cm.
Finizio
Luca
L
Istituto di Clinical Dermatologica, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Ospedale di Cattinara, Italy.
Vidali
Cristiana
C
Calacione
Roberta
R
Beorchia
Aulo
A
Trevisan
Giusto
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D002281:Carcinoma, Basosquamous / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*