Complications of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy

An integrative review of skin assessment tools used to evaluate skin injury related to external beam radiation therapy

“…Feldmeier () states that energy from radiation is absorbed by body tissues effectively killing cells and/or altering genes so that they can no longer multiply. Radiation dose is often fractionated, or divided out over the treatment period, in an effort to limit damage to the skin (Von der Maase ). Radiation works in distinct ways to damage the cell DNA, and repeated exposures do not allow time for cells to repair tissue or DNA damage.…”