The International Organisation for Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions (IORBC) notes a new recently published paper by a team including a member of our Clinical Advisory Board, Dr Bobby N. Koneru and our President, Dr Richard Shaffer.

The newly published retrospective study presents the potential of low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) as a safe and effective treatment option for osteoarthritis (OA) in an American patient population.

The research team at FHN, a regional healthcare system serving the people of Northwest Illinois and Southwest Wisconsin in the USA, noted that the American patient population differs significantly from European and Asian populations in terms of obesity prevalence, dietary patterns, and lifestyle factors. FHN believe that this is one of, if not the first project of its kind to report on an American patient population following treatment with LDRT utilising modern field design, dosing and treatment schedules - including allowing for a second course.

The retrospective study examined outcomes from 69 patients and 168 joints treated with LDRT over the course of 2023 and reported significant reductions in joint pain following LDRT, both at the end of treatment and at 10-week follow-up timeframes.

A brief overview of the study design and results is provided below:

• Patients in the study underwent LDRT for a range of joint-related OA symptoms. Each treatment course consisted of 6 fractions of 0.5 Gy (total dose 3 Gy) delivered over two to three weeks.

• Pain levels were measured before radiotherapy (pre-RT), at the end of treatment (EOT), and again at a 10-week follow-up (FU).

• Outcomes were assessed using a numeric pain rating scale and the von Pannewitz score.

• Mean pain scores dropped from 40.4 (total) and 6.3 (relevant) pre-RT to 26.0 and 4.0 respectively at EOT.

• Improvements remained stable at follow-up, with scores averaging 25.8 and 4.0.

• According to the von Pannewitz scale, 80% of treated joints showed meaningful improvement at EOT, with 72% maintaining this response at follow-up.

• A third of joints received a second course of LDRT, which yielded additional benefit without increased toxicity.

Overall, the test results showed consistency across all joint types and repeat LDRT courses were also shown to further improve pain outcomes in selected patients - particularly relevant to the USA given the higher obesity rates and different lifestyle factors of the patient population when compared to European and Asian cohorts. The report data also suggests that pain relief following LDRT was not significantly influenced by the type of joint treated.

The IORBC welcomes the report’s findings as it adds to the growing body of international evidence for the effective use of LDRT in OA management.

Read the study summary overview here: Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Single-Institution Analysis of 69 Patients and 168 Joints

Study authors: Bobby N. Koneru, Justin Sick, Hamza A. Shaikhb, Heather Spenglera & Richard Shaffer