Generalized vitiligo post radiotherapy in a breast cancer patient

Vitiligo is a common depigmentation disorder of skin, etiology of which is poorly understood. It has been rarely reported as a consequence of radiation at the site of irradiation, more so in patients with prior history of vitiligo. We report a rare clinical vignette that documents radiation-induced skin depigmentation, which started at the irradiated site and later manifested as generalized vitiligo, in a breast cancer patient with no family history of vitiligo. Studies describing the relationship between skin depigmentation and radiotherapeutic dose are scanty. The possible etiopathological mechanisms of vitiligo and radiation as a potential triggering factor for its development, which has been described in the literature, have been highlighted in this article.