CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2015; 42(05): 588-595
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2015.42.5.588
Original Article

Radiation Therapy Following Total Keloidectomy: A Retrospective Study over 11 Years

Kyuhee Kim
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
,
Daegu Son
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
,
Jinhee Kim
Department of Radiation Oncology, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
› Author Affiliations

Background Radiotherapy treatment after keloidectomy is known to be an effective method for reducing the rate of recurrence. However, to date, the appropriate total radiation dose and fractionation have not yet been confirmed. The authors performed a retrospective analysis to identify the appropriate radiation dose and fractionation in post-keloidectomy radiotherapy.

Methods From May 2000 to February 2011, postoperative radiotherapy was performed on 39 lesions in 28 patients after total keloidectomy. The keloid lesions were confined to the ear lobes. Between May 2000 and May 2004, 14 keloids were treated with surgical excision, followed by a total radiation dose of 1,200 cGy in three fractions over four to five days (group 1). Between June 2004 to February 2011, 25 keloids were treated with surgical excision, followed by a total radiation dose of 1,500 cGy in three fractions over four to five days (group 2). Patients were given a survey asking them to report their experiences regarding reoperation, recurrence of symptoms, recurrence of the lesion, and satisfaction with the operation.

Results Of the 28 patients who were treated, 20 underwent follow-up. Group 2 had more cases showing elevation with erythematous changes, whereas group 1 had more cases showing progressive stages of elevation than group 2. These differences were statistically significant. Moreover, a correlation was observed between the level of keloid elevation and the extent of symptoms.

Conclusions We suggest 1,500 cGy of radiation in three fractions following keloidectomy for ear lobe keloids. A further randomized study is needed to assess the recurrence of keloids after radiotherapy.

This article was presented at the 71st Congress of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons on November 1-3, 2013 in Seoul, Korea.




Publication History

Received: 23 April 2015

Accepted: 19 June 2015

Article published online:
05 May 2022

© 2015. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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