3 research teams from San Francisco said during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Treatment of Radiological Tumors that the use of this treatment at a low dose is a safe and effective option for the treatment of mild to average arthritis.
A random experiment in Korea included 114 volunteers suffering from knee arthritis, and the results showed that those who received 3 Gray units of radiation over 6 sessions felt a noticeable decrease in pain and improved physical functions. On the other hand, the radiation doses used after breast and head cancer surgeries usually range between 45 and 60.
After 4 months, the results showed a tangible improvement of 70% in at least two indicators, namely pain, physical functions and general condition, after receiving a low dose of radiation, compared to 42% after undergoing a fake procedure that does not have an actual effect.
The researchers also found that receiving a very low dose of radiation (0.3 Gra) was not more effective than the fake procedure.
American researchers stated separately that 84% of among 103 patients received radioactive treatment for arthritis in the hands, knees, or other areas of the body, witnessed an improvement in the level of pain. The results showed that the pain relief rates were close between the various joints, the weights of the body, and the sexes.
Dr. Pyong Hyuk Kim of the National University of Soul University, who led the Korean study, said in a statement that low -dose radiotherapy is used regularly to treat joint pain in Europe, but the high -quality evidence based on random experiences has been limited so far.
Kim added that the radiation doses used to treat arthritis are much lower than those used to treat cancer, and that the targeted joints are usually far from vital organs, which reduces the risk of side effects.
German researchers have followed more than 4,600 elderly patients who received radiation treatment due to arthritis between 1994 and 2010 that they noticed only 3 possible diagnoses related to solid oncology cancer during 15 years of follow -up, including two cases of skin cancer known as basal cell cancer.
The researchers said that the results indicate that the radiation doses used to treat the pain of the musculoskeletal system in the elderly involve “very little risk in causing solid malignant tumors.”
However, 1.4% of patients were injured with leukemia, especially when directed by treatment near the bone marrow responsible for the production of blood cells, indicating the need to use radiotherapy with caution in the shoulder and trunk areas as the researchers advised.