Radiation Therapy for Chronic Vesicular Hand Dermatitis

Abstract

Chronic vesicular hand dermatitis is a chronic disease that can be debilitating for patients, and many treatment options do not provide lasting remission. We attempted to determine the efficacy of megavoltage irradiation in the treatment of this disease. Between July 2001 and March 2005, 9 patients with severe chronic vesicular hand dermatitis had megavoltage radiation therapy to their sites of disease. Eight pairs of hands and seven pairs of feet were irradiated (15 total sites). All patients had an improvement in their disease during the course of radiation therapy. Patients were followed after radiation therapy for a median follow-up time of 20.2 months (range, 1 to 45 months). The disease completely resolved in 7 of the 15 (47%) sites irradiated. There was a decrease in the severity or frequency of flare-ups at the other 8 sites (53%). Megavoltage radiation therapy may be effective in the treatment of chronic vesicular hand dermatitis and may provide durable remissions in some patients.