Abstract
Radiation dermatitis is one of the earliest known side effects of radiation. Almost all patients receiving radiation therapy have some changes in the skin. Acute and or chronic skin changes carry the risk of influencing quality of life during and after completion of radiation. Radiation reactions may lead to delay in treatment or diminished cosmesis and functional deficits. Radiation effects to the skin are usually unavoidable as the radiation must enter, exudate, or be deposited near the skin to reach the target volume. Skin cells, because they originate from a rapidly reproducing differentiated stem cell, are relatively radiosensitive. The side effects can sometimes lead to interruption of therapy and be dose-limiting for tumor control and thus prevention and treatment strategies become extremely important.