Efficacy of Immediate Postoperative Single Fractional 10 Gy Radiotherapy for Earlobe Keloids.

BACKGROUND: The ear is a common site for keloid formation, typically due to ear piercing or trauma. Auricular keloids are always difficult to treat and pose a challenging situation. The purpose of this study is to present our experience treating earlobe keloids through complete surgical excision followed by immediate postoperative single fraction 10 Gy radiation therapy either on the same day or the next day.

METHODS: The authors retrospectively evaluated 48 patients with 71 earlobe keloids treated with complete surgical excision followed by single-fractional 10 Gy radiotherapy within 24 hours from May 2021 to December 2022. The outcome was reported with a recurrence-free rate and side effects.

RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 20.8 months. All patients tolerated the treatments well. The overall recurrence-free rate was 100%. There were only 2 grade III radiation dermatitis. There were no reports of second malignancies or severe complications.

CONCLUSIONS: The authors have obtained excellent outcomes from treating earlobe keloids through complete excision followed by postoperative radiotherapy with a single fractional dose of 10 Gy on the same day or the next day.