Introduction
Keloids, a type of skin lesion that presents as pathologically excessive dermal fibrosis and aberrant wound healing, are caused by cell proliferation and hyaline degeneration of connective tissues. The specific pathogenesis of keloids is still unknown[1- 2]. There are multiple therapeutic strategies for keloids, including surgery, cryotherapy, laser or light-based therapy, and intralesional corticosteroid injection. However, none of these is optimal. Surgical excision combined with adjuvant radiation is considered to be a safer and more efficacious method[3]. From publicly available data, the recurrence rate of keloids after simple surgical excision amounts to 45% - 100%[4]. Based on published reports, postoperative adiotherapy results in a control rate of 67% - 81% , and the recurrence rate decreases to 24.5% - 35%[4-12]. This article reviews papers related to postoperative radiotherapy treatment for keloids, and also discusses radiation types, parameters, safety and effectiveness.