A recent clinical trial suggests that a single course of low-dose radiation therapy could be a safe and effective option for people suffering from painful knee osteoarthritis.
The study, presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting, involved 114 patients in South Korea with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.
How was the study conducted?
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a low dose of radiation (3 Gy), a very low dose (0.3 Gy), or a placebo across six treatment sessions. The participants did not know which group they were in and were only allowed to take paracetamol for pain relief during the study period.
At four months, 70.3 per cent of patients who received the 3 Gy dose reported meaningful improvements in pain, stiffness and physical function, compared with just 41.7 per cent in the placebo group. The very low dose group showed some benefit, but not enough to be considered statistically significant. Importantly, no radiation-related side effects were reported. The doses used in this treatment are “only a small fraction of what we use for cancer, and the treatment targets joints that are positioned away from vital organs, which lowers the likelihood of side effects,” said the study’s lead author.
Road ahead:
Radiation therapy for joint pain is already used in countries like Germany and Spain, but it is not widely used in other parts of the world. According to the researchers, radiation therapy could be a viable alternative for patients who cannot tolerate or respond well to pain medications or are not candidates for, or wish to avoid, joint replacement surgery. The therapy is most appropriate for patients with underlying inflammation and preserved joint structure. It is not suitable for patients with severe osteoarthritis, where joints are structurally damaged, but it may help patients in the early stages manage symptoms and delay the need for joint replacement.
The researchers believe that combining radiation therapy with physiotherapy and lifestyle modifications could further enhance patient outcomes.