# Total skin electron beam therapy

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/total-skin-electron-therapy/  
OnCo record `total-skin-electron-therapy` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A low-energy electron beam treats the entire skin surface, for lymphomas that live in the skin, without penetrating to the organs beneath.

## Summary

Total skin electron beam therapy uses electrons of a few MeV, which deposit their dose in the outer centimetre of tissue, delivered while the patient stands in several positions so every part of the skin is covered. It is the most effective single treatment for widespread mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), giving complete responses in most patients, and low-dose schedules allow repeat courses.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: established
- Last checked: 2026-09-16
- Tags: radiation-wave1
- Principle: Electrons of limited range irradiate the skin uniformly to a shallow depth, sparing deeper tissue by physics alone.
- Since: 1960
- Strengths: Treats the whole skin at once; High response rates in cutaneous lymphoma; Low-dose courses can be repeated
- Limitations: Available in few centres; Skin reactions, hair and nail loss; Not curative for advanced disease

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_skin_electron_therapy

## Connected records

- cancers: [Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome)](https://onco.cc/cancers/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma/), [Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma)](https://onco.cc/cancers/peripheral-t-cell-lymphoma/)
- fronts: [Radiation Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/radiation/)
- technologies: [IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)](https://onco.cc/technologies/imrt-igrt/)

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