Incidence of dermatitis in head and neck cancer patients treated with primary radiotherapy and cetuximab.

Purpose: To retrospectively assess the incidence of radiation dermatitis in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who received primary radiotherapy in combination with cetuximab in a curative intent.

Patients And Methods: A total of 112 consecutively treated patients who received cetuximab in combination with radiotherapy at the Departments of Radiotherapy at the Medical University in Vienna and the Hospital Hietzing (Vienna) were analyzed. Radiotherapy was administered either as conventional radiotherapy (70 Gy in 7 weeks) or using a concomitant boost protocol (72 Gy in 6 weeks).