Radiation therapy in Kimura's disease

Kimura's disease is a rare disorder which predominantly involves the head and neck region and causes eosinophilia in peripheral blood. It often responds well to corticosteroid therapy but some patients can be resistant; in these patients symptomatic radiation therapy can be of value. We reviewed 10 patients with Kimura's disease who received radiation therapy from 1975 through 1981 in the Department of Radiology, Chiba University Hospital. Nineteen tumors were irradiated and 15 of them locally controlled. In 5 patients, steroid therapy could be withdrawn. For local control, 25 to 30 Gy seemed to be adequate. (orig.)