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Review
. 2022 Jun 27:9:913269.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.913269. eCollection 2022.

The State of the Art of Radiotherapy for Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: A Review of the Literature

Sofian Benkhaled  1 , Dirk Van Gestel  1 , Carolina Gomes da Silveira Cauduro  1 , Samuel Palumbo  2 , Veronique Del Marmol  3 , Antoine Desmet  1
Affiliations
Review

The State of the Art of Radiotherapy for Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: A Review of the Literature

Sofian Benkhaled et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Due to the general aging population and the fashion trend of sun exposure, non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is rising. The management of NMSC is difficult and necessitates a multidisciplinary team (i.e., pathologists, dermatologists, medical oncologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists). When surgery is not an option or will cause unacceptably functional morbidity, radiation therapy (RT) may be a preferable tissue-preserving option. Whether used alone or in conjunction with other treatments, RT has been shown to be quite effective in terms of cosmetic results and local control. Contact hypofractionated RT, brachytherapy, and electronic brachytherapy are all promising new treatments. However, rigorous, randomized trials are missing, explaining the disparity in dose, fractionation, and technique recommendations. Therefore, it is essential that interdisciplinary teams better understand RT modalities, benefits, and drawbacks. Our review will provide the role and indications for RT in patients with NMSC.

Keywords: basal cell carcinoma; brachytherapy; non-melanoma skin cancer; radiotherapy; squamous cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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