TY - JOUR
T1 - Skin markings in external radiotherapy by temporary tattooing with henna
T2 - Improvement of accuracy and increased patient comfort
AU - Tsang, Richard W.
AU - Gospodarowicz, Mary K.
AU - Pintilie, Melania
AU - Bezjak, Andrea
AU - Wells, Woodrow
AU - Hodgson, David C.
AU - Stewart, A. Keith
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2001/5/1
Y1 - 2001/5/1
N2 - Purpose: To guarantee invariable skin markings in patients undergoing a course of external radiotherapy, especially using conformal techniques. Cutaneous markings with henna also increase patient comfort, because washing and showering are allowed. Methods and Materials: Henna, a completely natural product, is a skin colorant with a history of 5,000 years. It is applied to the skin in the form of a paste. While drying, henna stains the superficial skin layers for several weeks, and the marked area can be exposed to water arbitrarily. In case of fading of the stain before the end of radiotherapy, the marking procedure can be repeated. From November 1998 until March 2000, we performed skin markings with henna in 158 patients with different tumor sites. The majority of patients received conformal radiotherapy techniques. All patients have been evaluated concerning durability of the markings, the required number of marking procedures per treatment course, and possible related side effects. Results: The median durability of henna staining is 23 days (range 12-48 days). On average, two marking procedures (range 1-4) are necessary for a patient treated with curative intent. Although washing and showering are freely permitted, no adverse cutaneous side effects (e.g., erythema, allergic reactions) have been observed. Conclusions: Skin marking by temporary tattooing with henna increases the accuracy of external radiotherapy. It yields stable and invariable markings for the entire course of radiotherapy and also increases the comfort of patients.
AB - Purpose: To guarantee invariable skin markings in patients undergoing a course of external radiotherapy, especially using conformal techniques. Cutaneous markings with henna also increase patient comfort, because washing and showering are allowed. Methods and Materials: Henna, a completely natural product, is a skin colorant with a history of 5,000 years. It is applied to the skin in the form of a paste. While drying, henna stains the superficial skin layers for several weeks, and the marked area can be exposed to water arbitrarily. In case of fading of the stain before the end of radiotherapy, the marking procedure can be repeated. From November 1998 until March 2000, we performed skin markings with henna in 158 patients with different tumor sites. The majority of patients received conformal radiotherapy techniques. All patients have been evaluated concerning durability of the markings, the required number of marking procedures per treatment course, and possible related side effects. Results: The median durability of henna staining is 23 days (range 12-48 days). On average, two marking procedures (range 1-4) are necessary for a patient treated with curative intent. Although washing and showering are freely permitted, no adverse cutaneous side effects (e.g., erythema, allergic reactions) have been observed. Conclusions: Skin marking by temporary tattooing with henna increases the accuracy of external radiotherapy. It yields stable and invariable markings for the entire course of radiotherapy and also increases the comfort of patients.
KW - Conformal radiotherapy
KW - External radiotherapy
KW - Henna
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Skin markings
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U2 - 10.1016/S0360-3016(01)01439-0
DO - 10.1016/S0360-3016(01)01439-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 11316562
AN - SCOPUS:0035341368
SN - 0360-3016
VL - 50
SP - 179
EP - 181
JO - International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
JF - International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
IS - 1
ER -