Superficial Radiation Therapy (SRT) should be first-line therapy for appropriate non-melanoma skin cancers in appropriate patients, according to new consensus guidelines published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 

Appropriate tumor types for SRT include primary basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), significant SCC in situ and certain cases of cutaneous lymphomas and Kaposi sarcoma, the guidelines state.

In addition, a consensus was reached on various other aspects of SRT use including suitable anatomical areas; energy, fractions, and scheduling recommendations for SRT; safety factors; as well as treatment recommendations for keloid scars, based the literature and on both the opinions of the expert group and a survey of experienced users.

"It is vital that the medical community has clear, concise, published treatment guidelines based on a thorough review of all literature and expert opinion on SRT to date," says Mark S. Nestor, MD, PHD, Director, Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research, Aventura FL and Voluntary Professor, the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery and Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the lead author of the guidelines, in a news release. "Our goal in forming these guidelines is to fill an important knowledge gap regarding the use of SRT and demonstrate its overarching efficacy with various patient populations across the globe."