Radiotherapy for Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Systematic Review

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring mainly in the intertriginous areas. Patients with HS often experience inadequate responses to traditional treatment consisting of lifestyle modification, topical and systemic antibiotics, hormonal modulators, biologics, and procedural modalities. Low-dose radiotherapy has been used in benign cutaneous conditions, including HS; however, there is a paucity of literature summarizing its evidence. Herein, we systematically review the current literature on the efficacy of radiotherapy for patients with HS. Summary: This systematic review of the published literature reports the patient demographics, treatment regimens, efficacy, and adverse effects of radiotherapy in the treatment of HS. The historic timeline of these publications highlights the changes in management recommendations, introduction of more standardized outcome measures, and enhancements in treatment options. Radiotherapy appears to be an option for patients with treatment-resistant HS or who are poor surgical candidates. However, there remains a paucity of consensus on proper candidate selection, dosing, efficacy, and safety of the short- and long-term effects of radiotherapy.

Automated summary

This systematic review examines the efficacy of radiotherapy in treating patients with Hidradenitis suppurativa, summarizing patient demographics, treatment regimens, efficacy, and adverse effects. The review highlights changes in management recommendations over time, improvements in standardized outcome measures, and advancements in treatment options. While radiotherapy may be a viable option for patients with treatment-resistant HS or those who are not suitable for surgery, there is still a lack of consensus on proper candidate selection, dosing, efficacy, and safety of short- and long-term effects.