Who would have ever thought radiation therapy could ease the nagging, constant, ever worsening pain of Osteoarthritis? It turns out a vast body of evidence proves Low Dose Radiation Therapy (LDRT) constitutes a well-tolerated and efficient treatment option providing long-lasting pain relief and should be offered to Osteoarthritis patients as a treatment option researchers conclude.
Over the decades, the scientific perception of OA has shifted from a simple degeneration of cartilage and bone to a multifactorial disease involving various cell types and immunomodulatory factors.
Despite a wide range of conventional treatment modalities available, a significant proportion of patients remain treatment refractory.
“Refractory to treatment” means a disease or condition stubbornly resists or fails to respond to standard medical therapies, continuing despite adequate attempts with different medications or approaches, indicating a need for more alternative strategies like LDRT.
Low-dose radiotherapy has been used for decades in Europe for the treatment of patients with inflammatory and/or degenerative diseases and has proven a viable option even in cohorts of patients with a rather poor prognosis. It is now becoming popular in the U.S. as more patients and doctors learn about it.
While its justification mainly derives from a vast body of empirical evidence, prospective randomized trials have UNTIL NOW failed to prove the effectiveness of LDRT.
Over the decades, adaptions of LDRT treatment modalities have evolved using lower dosages with establishment of different treatment schedules.
Preclinical research has revealed that the immune system is modulated by LDRT and very recently osteo-immunological mechanisms have been described.
The present review aims not only to present clinical and preclinical knowledge about the mechanistic and beneficial effects of LDRT, but also to emphasize topics that will need to be addressed in future studies.
Here’s a link to a comprehensive review of studies, which combines decades of research upon which the many scientists involved came to their conclusions about the safety and effectiveness of Low Dose Radiation Therapy for Osteoarthritis. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00066-022-02038-6
For more information on LDRT contact the team at CyberKnife Miami, which is now offering it as a treatment for osteoarthritis. Call 305-279-2900.