Radiation damage to skin: fundamental and practical aspects

The proceedings of this symposium present a variety of experimental studies on pathogenetic mechanisms and threshold doses for radiation injury to skin and underlying tissues, as well as on the influence of various agents on such lesions. Biological parameters can help to assess early the likelihood of serious late damage in order to guide therapeutic management, and may lead to the recognition of latent damage in skin. This was the subject of several presentations. Subsequently, accidents involving local irradiation in different countries were reviewed. These were followed by papers dealing with the therapy of radiation burns by conventional treatment, amputation or plastic surgery. Radiation protection guidelines for skin as well as different approaches to the management of accidents involving local irradiation were the subject of a round table discussion, during which areas requiring future study were also defined. (author)