To describe the case of successful radiotherapeutic treatment of a woman suffering from Brooke-Spiegler syndrome who had multiple disfiguring cylindromas on the entire scalp and further tumors on the trunk.
After decades of treatment with conventional therapies including surgery and topically applied salicylic acid, the 73-year-old woman agreed to undergo radiotherapeutic treatment. She received 60 Gy to the scalp and 36 Gy to painful nodules in the lumbar spine region.
Over a follow-up period of 14 and 11 years, respectively, the scalp nodules almost completely regressed, while the lumbar nodules became painless and considerably smaller. Apart from alopecia, no late adverse effects of treatment remain.
This case should remind us of the potential role that radiotherapy could play in treating Brooke-Spiegler syndrome. The required dose for treatment of such extensive disease is still a matter of debate due to the scarcity of radiotherapeutic experience. This case demonstrates that for scalp tumors, 30 × 2 Gy can result in long-term tumor control, while other dose prescriptions may be adequate for tumors in other locations.

Adequate dose homogeneity and full prescription dose delivery to the scalp still remains a dosimetric problem during scalp irradiation due to the anatomical shape of the cranium. Confounding variables such as gravity, the irregular and convex shape of the cranium, air gaps between scalp surface and commercial bolus, and potential inconsistencies in a 3D printed bolus can negatively impact the dose delivered to the scalp surface during scalp irradiation. The purpose of this retrospective case study was to implement the use of a 3D milled rigid bolus technique combined with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment planning and evaluate the dosimetric efficacy in delivering dose to the surface of the scalp. The 8-patient retrospective case study consisted of patients with a scalp lesion treated using a 3D milled bolus, VMAT, 6 megavoltage (MV) photon beams, and aligned for treatment using daily conebeam computed tomography (CT) and 6° of freedom couch positioning. Dose volume histograms (DVHs) were used to evaluate maximum dose delivered to the planning target volumes (PTVs) while the dose homogeneity index (DHI) was calculated and compared to that of an ideal value of 1. The researchers evaluated the minimum dose delivered to the individual PTVs after plan normalization. The researchers found that the 3D milled bolus coupled with volumetric modulated arc therapy increased surface dose homogeneity, while also increasing the percentage of planning target volumes receiving full prescription dose. With statistically significant results, patient specific 3D milled rigid bolus offers a viable bolus option for treatment of superficial scalp lesions when combined with volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment planning. However, a larger sample size used in a scientific research study across multiple institutions would be desirable to validate these case study findings.

BACKGROUND: Due to its spherical surface, scalp angiosarcoma requires careful consideration for radiation therapy planning and dose delivery. Herein, we investigated whether volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is superior to intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in terms of the plan quality and delivery time.
METHODS: Three different coplanar treatment plans were created for four patients, comprising a two-arc VMAT plan as well as 5-field and 9-field IMRT plans with 6 MV beams. The X-ray Voxel Monte Carlo algorithm was employed for dose calculation. A radiation therapy dose of 60 Gy was prescribed to the planning target volume (PTV) in 30 fractions. The homogeneity indexes (HIs) and conformity indexes (CIs) of the PTV, organs at risk (OARs) doses and delivery times were calculated and compared.
RESULTS: For the VMAT, 5-field and 9-field IMRT plans, the mean HIs were 0.14, 0.16 and 0.15; CIs100% were 0.63, 0.61 and 0.64; CIs98% were 0.72, 0.66 and 0.70 and CIs95% were 0.74, 0.67 and 0.71 respectively. All mean dose parameters of the VMAT and 9-field IMRT plans for the brain were equal to or lower than those of the 5-field IMRT plan. For the 5-field IMRT plan, the dose constraints for the left lens were not satisfied in two patients. The mean delivery times were 3.3, 11.1 and 14.7 min for the VMAT, 5-field and 9-field IMRT plans respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The VMAT plan quality is comparable to that of 9-field IMRT, with a reduced delivery time. Therefore, VMAT represents a valuable, sophisticated irradiation technique for treating scalp angiosarcoma.

Angiosarcoma of the scalp is a rare aggressive tumor that affects elderly patients. Chemoradiation is the treatment of choice for multicentric and extensive disease. The shape of the scalp represents a dosimetric challenge in terms of achieving a homogeneous concave dose distribution with coverage of the entire target volume and an acceptable organs-at-risk sparing. We report a case of an 81-year-old man with a multifocal angiosarcoma of the scalp treated with Helical TomoTherapy® (Accuray Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) intensity modulated radiotherapy. This technique allows precise and daily verifiable coverage of the target keeping the dose to the organs at risk within the constraints.

A scalp irradiation technique for palliative treatment of a squamous cell carcinoma was discussed. A patient with multiple cutaneous scalp lesions resulting in bleeding and pain was treated with a 3D conformal radiotherapy technique was performed with five 6 MV electron beams without shifting the field borders during the course of the treatment, due to the finality of the treatment (palliative intent). A reduction of planning and delivery complexity has been obtained not considering the junctioning problems. Nevertheless, the 90% of gross tumor volume (GTV) was covered by the 85% of prescription dose with a significant reduction of patient\'s symptoms (pain and bleeding). Our patient achieved a significant pain response and resolution of bleeding with this technique. Our study revealed that the scalp irradiation by means of electron beam without considering the junction problem is easy and effective for the palliative intent in elderly patients with squamous cell carcinoma.