Low Dose Radiation Treatment for Osteoarthritis ??

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jim108
jim108 CSN Member Posts: 40 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

After I completed rad & chemo in 12/21 my rad doc said I should avoid all radiation, if possible, going forward. He is now pushing LDRT for my OA in my thumbs (after hearing that while I have OA in my SI & SC joints on the right side - there is no pain in the joints themselves). From what I could find on the the net it doesn't seem to have a great deal of risk, was used in US for a time then NSAIDS (which I can't take) and general fear of X-rays took over. It's been used in Germany w/out any signs of new cancer. Can cause rash and / or fatigue - seems that is temporary.

I don't know, maybe cause I've not really liked my rad doc & his hard sell….

Tbese 3 docs left the medical center I got my tx at in 12/21 and started their own cancer center and I followed them for follow up surveillance. They have only just in the past month(s) listed anything about the LDRT for OA as well as a bunch of other non-cancer items on their website. So it would seem they are under some $ pressure there - the waiting room is now almost always empty when I've gone the last couple of years or so as opposed to being packed when I first went. If I wasn't so close to finishing I would consider going back to the medical center AND certainly if there is any concern of a re-occurance I'll be changing docs.

I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts about this particularly if anyone else has had this "offered" to them or has done it post cancer tx.

Thanks all,

Jim

Comments

  • eDivebuddy
    eDivebuddy CSN Member Posts: 149 Member
    #2

    Are you kidding me?

    This is a treatment designed solely for pain relief , not to cure, slow, or reverse arthritis. Even its proponents don’t claim otherwise. So what’s the point if you're not in pain?

    I have arthritis in multiple joints, including spine and hands, and manage it just fine with supplements like Boswellia . No way would I ever consider this.

    Let’s not forget: this same doctor told you to avoid all radiation after cancer treatment. Now he wants to give you the equivalent of 60,000 chest X-rays to both thumbs ?! for a condition that isn’t even bothering you?

    I don’t know what changed, maybe it’s the empty waiting room, maybe it’s the new “services” suddenly listed on their website . But this smells like desperation, not medicine.

    If it were me, I’d be running , or limping, as far away from that office as my joints would allow.

  • jim108
    jim108 CSN Member Posts: 40 Member
    #3
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1723409#Comment_1723409

    thanks edivebuddy, sorry I wasn't clear - I do feel moderate - to significant pain in both thumbs. steroid injections didn't help and they hurt, a lot! Yes this is not a cure but neither is NSAIDS or steroids. And I'm not inclined to go forward with it…. yes it feels like desperation. I've got one more appt there in a year. However if there is any cancer that returns, I'm going back to the original medical center. I did a quick search for LDRT / osteoarthritis in Seattle, (I'm several hours north) and no hits on line or at the big cancer centers there.

    Jim

    ,

  • eDivebuddy
    eDivebuddy CSN Member Posts: 149 Member
    #4

    Yeah comes with a 1 in 50 chance of developing a fatal cancer. I guess if you die from other causes before the effect wears off, they're not permanent, it might be a viable treatment. These guys think it has minimal side effects even after acknowledging the risk but changing how it sound to make it seem safer. They called the risk 20 in 1000.

    https://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(22)00357-1/fulltext

    I take boswellia a a replacement for long term steroid use for radiation necrosis. i only tried it in hopes of controlling the edema and headaches. The fact that it took the aching hands Away was a happy bonus.

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