Treatment of keloids by 90Sr-90Y beta-rays

The use of radiations for the treatment of keloids was the topic of debate for years. Because of the benign nature of the keloids, surgery (keloidectomy) was treatment of choice. However, the use of surgery alone for arresting the keloids growth does not give satisfactory results due to the high frequency of recurrences. In this study 110 symptomatic cases were treated with 90Sr-90Y beta-radiation either alone for flat keloids or in combination with surgery for thick keloids. The results obtained with this method were found to be quite satisfactory. Patients were given four fractions of 5 Gy per fraction either as weekly or twice weekly schedules. Radiation dose of 2000 cGy given twice weekly in four fractions showed response in 86% of the cases as compared to 73% in those receiving four fractions of 5 Gy weekly. Further observations on different time dose fractionation schedules would open up newer dimensions in the radiotherapy of keloids.