Superficial X-Ray Therapy (SXRT) for non-melanoma skin cancer (N-MSC) of the head and neck is well tolerated, achieves excellent local control, and should continue to be recommended in the management of this disease, according to a recent study. Researchers reviewed medical records of 597 patients with 1,021 lesions treated with kilovoltage radiation from 1979 to 2013. The majority of patients were treated according to 1 of 3 institutional protocols based on the discretion of the radiation oncologist. The median follow-up was 44 months. They found:

• No significant difference was observed among the 3 prescribed fractionation schemes in terms of radiation toxicity.

• There were no failures among squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) in situ, 37 local failures (23 basal cell carcinomas [BCC], 14 SCC), 5 regional failures (all SCC), and 2 distant failures (both SCC).

• For BCC, the 5-year local control was 96% and the 10-year local control was 94%.

• For SCC, the corresponding rates of local control were 92% and 87%, respectively.

Citation: Grossi Marconi D, de Costa Resende B, Rauber E, et al. Head and neck non-melanoma skin cancer treated by Superficial X-Ray Therapy: An analysis of 1021 cases. [Published online ahead of print July 1, 2016]. PLoS One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156544.