Radiotherapy of basal cell carcinoma of the face and head: Importance of low dose per fraction on long‐term outcome

Summary Background: Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma of the face and head and achieves cure rates of 92‐96 %. Different fractionation concepts of radiotherapy have been described.This study investigates the efficacy, as well as acute and chronic toxicity, of a slightly hypofractionated radiotherapy schedule. Patients and Methods: 85 patients with 104 tumors underwent radiotherapy for basal cell carcinoma of the face and head. The radiotherapy schedule was 5×3 Gray/week up to a total dose of 57 Gray in 95 % of patients. Acute and late radiotherapy toxicity and cosmetic outcome were evaluated in long‐term follow‐up. Results: No recurrence was observed. In 87 % of tumors, only low acute toxicity occurred at the end of radiotherapy. Late toxicity, if observed, was low in most patients. “Excellent” or “good” cosmesis was achieved in 94 % of tumors at last follow‐up. Conclusions: Our radiotherapy schedule achieves a very high local control rate and very good cosmetic and functional results.This fractionation can be recommended as a standardized radiotherapy treatment for basal cell carcinoma of the face and head.