Contemporary treatment of keloids: A 10-year institutional experience with medical management, surgical excision, and radiation therapy

Introduction: We evaluate a single center's, decade-long experience utilizing 3 approaches to keloid treatment: corticosteroid medical management (MM), surgical excision (SE), and surgical excision + radiation therapy (SE + RT).

Study design: Patients undergoing keloid treatment were identified (2008-2017). Outcomes were symptomatology/cosmesis for MM, and recurrence and complications for SE and SE + RT. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with recurrence and complications.

Results: 284 keloids (95 MM, 94 SE, 95 S E + RT) corresponded to patients with a median age of 39.1 (IQR: 26.1-53), 68.1% Black, and followed-up for 15.4 months (IQR: 5.6-30.7). For MM, 84.6% and 72.5% reported improvement in cosmesis and symptoms, respectively. SE and SE + RT recurrence were 37.2 and 37.9%, respectively. In adjusted analyses, higher radiation doses were associated with decreased recurrence whereas male gender (OR 3.3) and postoperative steroids (OR 9.5) were associated with increased recurrence (p < 0.01). There were more complications in the SE + RT group.

Conclusions: MM resulted in at least some improvement. Recurrence rates after SE and SE + RT were similar. Female sex is protective, race does not affect outcomes.