Researchers are testing low-dose radiation to treat the condition. painful symptoms Osteoarthritis of the knee.
The study, presented by South Korean researchers at the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in September, suggests that a single dose of radiation can be a “safe and effective” treatment option.
knee osteoarthritis It is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the knee and worsens over time.
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The randomized clinical trial enrolled 114 patients with moderate to mild knee osteoarthritis, who were assigned very low doses of radiation, low doses, or a placebo. The only other pain medication used during the study was acetaminophen.
Participants underwent six sessions, and researchers assessed “meaningful improvement” in at least two of the following measures: pain, physical function, and global measures. Condition evaluation.
Patients also completed a questionnaire to report pain, stiffness, and function. No treatment-related side effects were recorded in either case.
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After four months of treatment, 70% of low-dose participants met criteria, compared with 42% on placebo. The very low dose group saw a 58.3% improvement.
These findings suggest that the low-dose regimen “produced symptom relief beyond the placebo effect,” the experts noted in a press release.
In the low-dose group, 56.8% recorded significant improvements in pain, stiffness, and physical function scores compared to 30.6% in the placebo group.
The study concluded that low doses of radiation significantly reduced pain and improved function after four months, but this was a “small fraction” of the usual dose. treat cancer.
People with painful knee osteoarthritis “often face a difficult choice” between the risk of side effects from painkillers and the risk of pain, said Byun-Hyuk Kim, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s principal investigator and assistant professor of radiation oncology at Seoul National University’s Boramae Medical Center. joint replacement surgery.
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“We believe that a moderate intervention between mild pain medications and aggressive surgery is clinically necessary, and that radiotherapy may be an appropriate option for these patients, especially when drugs or injections are poorly tolerated,” he said in a statement.
Radiation therapy may be a better option for patients with underlying inflammation and preserved joint structure, Kim added.
“In severe osteoarthritis, where the joint has been physically destroyed and the cartilage has already disappeared, radiation does not regenerate the tissue,” he said. “However, for people with mild to moderate disease, this approach may delay the need for joint replacement surgery.”
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This treatment should also be considered in conjunction with other lifestyle factors, such as: weight lossThe response “may be even stronger when radiation is appropriately combined with other treatments,” Kim said.
“And patient satisfaction may be higher than with current options alone.”
The researchers identified several limitations to the study, including a relatively short follow-up period.
Researchers are planning a large trial to compare low-dose radiation injections with the drug regimen and evaluate outcomes in specific people.
