Radiotherapy of carcinomas of the skin overlying the cartilage of the nose: results in 405 lesions.

The skin overlying the nose cartilage is a particularly frequent localization of skin carcinomas, for which it is of great practical interest to identify the best therapy, able to combine effectiveness with a good cosmetic and functional result. To this aim a retrospective study was performed regarding 405 basal and squamous cell carcinomas treated by kilovoltage radiotherapy in the period 1972-2002. The total dose of ionizing radiation administered ranged from 40 to 85 Gy, with different dose fractionations, according to the technique employed. The five-year cure-rate was 88.6%. Cosmetic results were evaluated as "good" or "acceptable" in 96.13% of the treated lesions in complete remission. So far, no complications nor sequelae to the radiological treatment have been observed. Our results show that superficial radiotherapy is able to provide high rates of remission in the treatment of nose basal and squamous cell carcinomas, without damaging the underlying cartilaginous tissues.