title: Soft x-ray therapy for cutaneous basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We have used a schedule for soft x-ray therapy of epithelial malignancies that takes into account the clinically diagnosed tumor involution under treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of this schedule in terms of cure rate and late ulcerations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with 1267 consecutively irradiated (1988-1992) basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas were followed up (average 77 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recurrence rate (5.1%) was related to tumor size and thickness and to the time-dose-fractionation factor. The frequency of ulcerations (6.3%) depended on field size, hardness of the x-rays, and in smaller fields (diameter up to 4 cm) on total dose, and time-dose-fractionation factor. Of all ulcerations, 82.5 % could be conservatively cured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have no evidence that our radiation schedule is superior to those published by other authors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results verify the usefulness of soft x-ray therapy for cutaneous epithelial malignancies.
authors.forename: Klaus-Werner
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lippold
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Auras
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bramkamp
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Breitkopf
authors.forename: Heinz-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Elsmann
authors.forename: Eva Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Habenicht
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jasnoch
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müller-Pannes
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rupprecht
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Suter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*