Radiotherapy for malignancies associated with lupus: case reports of acute and late reactions

Six patients with lupus (five with systemic lupus erythematosus and one with discoid lupus) were treated with moderate-dose to high-dose standard radiation treatment for breast cancer (four patients), Hodgkin's disease (one patient), and thymoma (one patient). None of the patients had severe acute or late radiation complications in the skin or subcutaneous tissues treated, with a follow-up of 7-121 months. Systemic lupus erythematosus is not an absolute contraindication to radiotherapy, which can be offered to patients with malignant disease that can be appropriately treated with this modality.