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Radiation dermatitis (also known as radiodermatitis) is a skin disease associated with prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation. [3]: 131–2 Radiation dermatitis occurs to some degree in most patients receiving radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
Moist desquamation is a common side effect of radiotherapy treatment, where approximately 36% of radiotherpay patients will present with symptoms of moist desquamation. [3] While modern megavoltage external beam radiotherapy have peak radiation doses below the skin, older orthvoltage systems have peak radiation doses at the skin of a patient.
The impact of radiotherapy varies between different types of cancer and different groups. [12] For example, for breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery, radiotherapy has been found to halve the rate at which the disease recurs. [13] In pancreatic cancer, radiotherapy has increased survival times for inoperable tumors. [14]
In most cases, healing occurs by regenerative means; however, very large skin doses can cause permanent hair loss, damaged sebaceous and sweat glands, atrophy, fibrosis (mostly keloids), decreased or increased skin pigmentation, and ulceration or necrosis of the exposed tissue. [1]
The widespread use of radium in medicine ended when it was discovered that physical tolerance was lower than expected and exposure caused long term cell damage that could appear in carcinoma up to 40 years after treatment. [5] The use of radiation continues today as a treatment for cancer in radiation therapy.
Skin cancer may occur following ionizing radiation exposure following a latent period averaging 20 to 40 years. [41] [42] A chronic radiation keratosis is a precancerous keratotic skin lesion that may arise on the skin many years after exposure to ionizing radiation.
Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a serious complication of radiation therapy in cancer treatment where radiated bone becomes necrotic and exposed. [1] ORN occurs most commonly in the mouth during the treatment of head and neck cancer, and can arise over 5 years after radiation. [2]
In the event of an injury that damages the skin's protective barrier, the body triggers a response called wound healing. After hemostasis, inflammation white blood cells, including phagocytic macrophages arrive at the injury site. Once the invading microorganisms have been brought under control, the skin proceeds to heal itself.