What will it take to stop the madness of irradiating the shin of elderly people who have skin cancer? I have posted cases like this before and some of you have sent me others. This man had radiation for skin cancer a few years ago. The non-healing wound that the radiation caused at the time required hyperbaric oxygen therapy and was very hard to heal. However, he was doing OK until a few weeks ago when he required a biopsy for a suspicious lesion in the irradiated field. Now he’s got an exposed tendon because the radiation damaged tissue just fell apart after the biopsy. There’s no way to heal this wound with exposed tendon. This time he will need a flap by a plastic surgeon. He’s otherwise healthy and plays golf regularly.
Elderly patients are told that radiation is better than surgery for skin cancer because they have “poor circulation.” However, as is the case in the other patients I have seen, there’s no underlying arterial disease. He didn’t even have leg edema. He would likely have healed even a very large skin cancer surgery without needing months of hyperbaric oxygen or a flap. But, thanks to the radiation, he’s got a really big problem.
What will it take to stop the madness of shin radiation?
Additional Reading:
- Please Stop the Madness of Radiation to the Shin (CarolineFifeMD.com, 9/20/21)
- Help Stop the Madness of Shin Radiation (CarolineFifeMD.com, 9/28/21)
- A New Case for “Stop the Madness of Shin Radiation” (CarolineFifeMD.com, 11/18/21)
- Another New Case for “Stop the Madness of Shin Radiation” (CarolineFifeMD.com, 11/19/21)
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
Dr. Fife,
I am a victim of SRT in my right lateral distal pretibial region, with a 2.5 x 2 cm squamous cell tumor. The treatment for lower legs is contraindicated, yet the manufacturer of the SRT medical device actively encourages this treatment region. I filed a 3500B adverse reaction report with FDA in Oct. 2022 and filed a follow-up report in Jan. 2023, which has not yet been posted. I have conducted significant research about SRT and engaged my attending dermatologist in the investigation of the root cause of my injury. My treatments have been through the University of Tennessee Wound and Hyperbaric Center, my wound care doctor directed me to your site. She is a former radiation oncologist and also concerned about the application of SRT to lower extremities.
I would like to correspond with you and provide you additional documentation on my personal journey through this issue and perhaps ways to “stop the madness”.