Radiotherapy

Abstract

An effective course of radiotherapy will inevitably cause injury to the skin, subcutaneous tissue, periosteum, and perhaps even the lung. The tragedy of chronic radiation injuries is that they are progressive throughout the patient’s lifetime, i. e., ulcerations and radiocarcinomas can develop even several decades following the exposure. The typical picture of radiodermatitis with vascular congestion, fibrosis, and superficial ulceration was most commonly seen in the era of X-irradiation. While gamma radiation (e. g., cobalt-60) is less damaging to the skin, it can sometimes lead to severe induration and fibrosis of the subcutaneous tissue and muscle, while the fast electrons emitted by high-voltage sources (betatron, linear accelerators) often incite fibrosis at deeper levels such as the lung or mediastinum.