Adverse reactions of postoperative superficial radiotherapy for non-melanoma skin malignant tumors

Abstract Background Surgical excision is the preferred treatment option for the vast majority of non-melanoma skin malignant tumors, and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy can effectively kill residual tumor cells, thereby reducing the tumor recurrence rate. A small number of patients have varying degrees of adverse reactions after receiving radiation therapy. Objective To evaluate the adverse reactions of adjuvant radiotherapy after surgical resection for different types of non-melanoma skin malignant tumors, and provide reference for postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy for non-melanoma skin malignant tumors. Methods To collect basic data of hospitalized patients with non-melanoma malignant skin tumors in the dermatology department of our hospital who underwent surgical resection combined with superficial radiotherapy from June 2022 to June 2023, and conduct a retrospective analysis of the total dose, treatment period, and major adverse reactions of the patients receiving radiation therapy and summarize some information with reference value Results The main adverse reaction of postoperative superficial radiotherapy for non-melanoma malignant skin tumors is radiodermatitis. Among the 21 patients included, a total of 7 individuals developed radiodermatitis. Six patients with tumors located in areas rich in subcutaneous fat developed radiodermatitis, while one patient with tumors located in areas weak in subcutaneous fat developed radiodermatitis. Among them, 9 patients completed radiation therapy in one stage, 5 patients developed radiodermatitis; 12 patients completed radiation therapy in two stages, and 2 patients developed radiodermatitis. Conclusions Different human bodies have different sensitivities and tolerances to radiotherapy, and the probability of developing radiodermatitis varies. There is no significant correlation between the occurrence of radiodermatitis and the total radiation dose. Areas with abundant subcutaneous fat (such as abdomen, back, buttocks and proximal limbs) are more prone to radiodermatitis compared to areas with thin subcutaneous fat (such as scalp, facial, lip, ear, nasal, vulva, scrotum and toe). Dividing the total treatment cycle can effectively reduce the incidence of radiodermatitis.