[Radiotherapy of anal carcinomas. Case reviews]

Radiotherapy is commonly assigned an important role in the treatment of anal neoplasia. Interstitial treatment with 192Ir and high-energy transcutaneous therapy will lead to survival and cure percentages comparable with those obtainable surgically, if correctly employed in accordance with precise indications, in stage T1 and T2 tumours. External high-energy management, with or without surgery, may also be effective in stage T3 cases. The seriousness and frequency of radionecrosis have hitherto helped to create a lack of trust in radiation management. Modern irradiation techniques, however, have reduced these complications to low percentages, and their resolution by destructive surgery is rarely required.