[Superficial X-ray therapy of lip cancer after chronic excessive sun exposure of a 47-year-old autistic painter].

A 47-year-old autistic painter developed lip cancer after chronic excessive sun exposure. As she feared sun withdrawal during inpatient surgical excision, she refused this first-line treatment and therefore received outpatient X-ray therapy. The reason why she developed premature lip cancer and refused to stay in a hospital and the way she illustrated her "sun addiction" in her pictures is presented. Two years later she was free of recurrence. She has remained a sun worshipper until now, but after X-ray therapy she used daily sunscreens with very high sun protection factors, which attenuated the actinic damage. Considering the specific personality of the autistic painter, outpatient radiation therapy was a good alternative to inpatient surgery.