Could radiotherapy do more harm than good in some patients? Treatment may ‘suppress the body’s natural ability to fight skin cancer’

‘Radiotherapy is an important tool to fight skin tumours – but may make matters worse in some patients, new research warns.

Doctors are now being urged against using the treatment on large areas of skin – after the study found it could attack the immune system.

Researchers found that certain cells within the tumour can resist the effects of treatment.

These ‘Langerhans cells’ – after being blasted with radiation – trigger the creation of other cells that suppress the body’s immune response.’