Radiotherapy, or radiation treatment, is a non-invasive procedure which uses high energy X-rays and other beams, such as electrons, to treat disease. It’s most often used in high doses to treat cancer, but it can also be used in lower doses to treat non-cancerous (benign) conditions including Ledderhose disease of the foot.
How does radiotherapy work?
How effective is radiotherapy for Ledderhose disease?
Research shows that radiotherapy is very effective for the treatment of Ledderhose disease, with 79% of patients saying their condition had improved after an average follow-up of 2.2 years.¹ Many individuals described their feet as having an improvement in nodules (83% of cases), improved functionality (75%) and reduced pain (71%).
¹ Shaffer, R., Freeland, C., Jeevarathnam, I. and Pardon, L. (2018). EP-1694: Radiotherapy for Ledderhose disease of the feet. Radiotherapy and Oncology, 127, p.S909.
What to expect from The Dupuytren’s Practice
Dr Shaffer is a leading expert in the use of radiotherapy to treat benign conditions. You can arrange an initial consultation to find out if radiotherapy could be an appropriate treatment for you.
During the consultation:
- Your consultant will ask questions, perform an examination and discuss treatment options with you, including benefits and possible side effects
- If it’s agreed that radiotherapy is right for your condition, you’ll need to sign a consent form for your treatment
- Your consultant will then outline the nodules and cords which are to be treated
- A safety margin will be marked around the tissue to be treated – this allows us to treat the affected area while protecting the unaffected part of your hand
- A radiographer will then take a photograph of the area and make a tracing so that the area can accurately be treated each day
- After this has been done, you can go home – your treatment will generally start at least a few days later
During your radiotherapy treatment:
- You’ll be asked to position yourself underneath a radiotherapy machine, with the foot placed on a positioning bag for the duration of your treatment
- Each appointment will take around 10 minutes each day, with the radiotherapy treatment itself taking just under a minute to complete
Your radiotherapy for Ledderhose disease will be administered over five consecutive days (excluding weekends) and then repeated after a three-month break.
The radiotherapy will be targeted to the same area throughout your course of treatment, even if the nodules in the foot seem to be decreasing in size. This is done in order to limit the likelihood of recurrence after treatment.
After your radiotherapy treatment:
You’ll receive a follow-up call from us to check how you’re doing after your treatment – here you can discuss any problems, side effects or questions you may have.
Three months after your treatment, you’ll be sent a questionnaire by your consultant so we can assess how your feet are. If necessary, you’ll be able to have an additional consultation over the phone or at one of our clinics to discuss your outcomes in more detail.
Risks of radiotherapy treatment
You may experience some minor side effects when having your radiotherapy treatment. Your personal risk will be discussed with you during your initial consultation with The Dupuytren’s Practice team.
During your radiotherapy treatment, you should not experience any side effects – it doesn’t make you feel drowsy or dizzy and it does not cause pain.
Short-term side effects
Two to three weeks after the end your radiotherapy course, the skin on your sole may become a little red, sore or dry – this tends to be very minor (although about 1 in 100 people can get swelling or weeping around the area).
Most people find putting some moisturiser on the area is enough to treat the dryness.
Long-term side effects
Around one in five people find that the dryness continues.
Some people notice minor changes in the skin, such as it being thicker, thinner, rougher, or smoother than before the treatment.
While there is a theoretical risk of developing a cancer in the skin around the treated area, the risk is very small – in the region of 0.01% to 0.1% (between 1 in 10,000 patients and 1 in 1,000 patients). The radiation is precisely targeted at the lumps to avoid unnecessary exposure to other areas of your hand or foot. It’s also important to note that the radiation dose is much lower than radiotherapy treatment for cancer. If you have any concerns during your treatment, your radiographer will be available to answer your questions at any time.
Dose of radiation
The dose of radiation that is received for the treatment of benign conditions is considerably lower than the dose given for cancer. Cancer patients are usually treated with radiation levels between 50 to 70 Gy. However, the total dose you’ll receive for your Ledderhose disease in total across the ten days is 30 Gy.