Background: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is frequently inoperable because of old age and/or coexisting disease. We therefore reviewed the efficacy and toxicity of radiation therapy for EMPD.
Patients and methods: Fourteen patients with EMPD underwent definitive radiation therapy. Three patients had regional lymph node metastases before radiation therapy, but none had distant metastasis. Total doses of 52-80.2 Gy (median=60.6 Gy) were delivered to tumor sites in 26-43 fractions (median=33 fractions).
Results: Four patients had developed recurrence at a median follow-up period of 47 months. The 5-year local control and disease-free rates were 71% and 63%, respectively. Two patients died of old age and renal failure at 6 and 51 months, respectively, after irradiation. The 5-year disease-free, cause-specific and overall survival rates were 46%, 100% and 79%, respectively. No therapy-related toxicities of grade 3 or greater were observed.
Conclusion: Radiation therapy is effective and safe, and appears to offer a curative treatment option for patients with EMPD.