Pigott, Katharine H.;
(1996)
The quantitative assessment of radiation change in skin.
Doctoral thesis (M.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
In a study of irradiated skin which appeared normal to visual examination functional changes were sought and quantified. Four different techniques were employed. 1) The electrical conductance of the skin in order to measure the production of surface moisture. 2) Silicone elastomer moulding of the skin to determine the number of functioning sweat glands. 3) Laser doppler flowmetry with a heating element to measure the vascular response to heat. 4) Visco-elasticity analysis. In unirradiated controls, using these techniques similar readings were obtained from comparable areas on both sides of the body. Consequently patients acted as their own controls: an irradiated site being compared with a similar non irradiated site. Skin function was assessed in 38 patients, treated with one of five different radiotherapy schedules more than five years prior. Changes in skin function were detected in apparently normal skin and a radiation dose response relationship observed using skin conductance, silicone elastomer moulding and visco-elasticity analysis. These methods have measured functional change in irradiated skin and have allowed precise comparison of different schedules of radiotherapy. Skin conductance was also measured in 18 patients during and in the first years following radiation for breast cancer. Patients who had the greatest reduction in skin conductance at the end of treatment showed little recovery with time. Furthermore the severest acute radiation reaction occurred in the patient, who had a marked drop in skin conductance on day 10 of treatment. The degree of early change in skin conductance may therefore predict the severity of the late changes and provide a means for detecting the unusually radiosensitive patient.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | M.D |
| Title: | The quantitative assessment of radiation change in skin |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Thesis digitised by ProQuest. |
| Keywords: | Health and environmental sciences; Radiation change in skin |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10102668 |
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