title: Radiation therapy for the salvage of unresectable subungual squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A case of subungual squamous cell carcinoma, which is a rare malignancy and has an elusive etiology, is reported.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present radiation therapy as a viable treatment option to amputation for surgically unresectable subungual squamous cell cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 69-year-old man with a 16-year-old history of subungual squamous cell carcinoma of the left thumb was treated by external beam radiation therapy. In this case, bone invasion precluded the patient from successfully completing Moh's micrographic surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treated thumb at 17 months after radiation therapy remained tumor free.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiation therapy should be considered a treatment option for nail bed squamous cell carcinoma before considering amputation and perhaps as salvage for all unresectable lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10467-2490, USA. ryaparpa@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Ravindra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yaparpalvi
authors.forename: Panna S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Mahadevia
authors.forename: Giridhar R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Gorla
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Beitler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*