Just wondering if anyone has tried radiotherapy AFTER surgery? I'm 54 and recently underwent a third surgery to release the pinky of my R hand. Also removed one large and two smaller nodules. Lots of scar tissue and entwined nerves and tendons to work around. My surgeon said it was definitely challenging. DD is very aggressive for me and recurrence is a given. Thought RT might be a viable option to defer or, dare I say it, prevent my next surgery. Just want to make sure it would do more good than harm. Guessing this is uncharted territory but any thoughts or experiences along these lines would be appreciated. Thanks-

I know of a fellow sufferer who is contemplating RT after his surgery as the nodules have returned very quickly. We both work in the wound healing research and agree with his doctor that RT post surgery is feasible but there must be enough time to allow for complete healing from surgery as RT will disrupt healing.

Stephen

Given that there needs to be time for nerves to regrow which is slow, the suggestion is about 3 years but that is a guess. Someone else may have experience in this or a hand surgeon should have a better idea although from reading this forum, hand surgeons do not like the idea of RT at all!

In the case of aggressive disease, this is probably longer than what is tolerable.



Stephen

Hi to all an Aussie Calling.

I have previously posted . I 've had 15 surgeries including 4 large grafts. In mid 07 I had a repeat surgery and within 4 weeks had numerous nodules appear on the operated hand and the index finger of the other hand. I visited Prof. Seegenschmiedt then in Essen Germany. My operated hand had Protocol- 5days of 3 Gy (total 15 GY) whereas the unoperated had the (30 GY.) The idea is to get results with the lowest dose of RT. This would allow a repeat RT if it became necessary. (Documentation-photos etc to identify the treated area is most important.) The grafts had to be protected . I would not worry about RT after surgery. In case of keliods the RT is carryied out within 24 hr.of surgery for the best result. I had RT some 8 to 10 weeks after surgery.
Regards.

Edited 11/22/11 19:37

Dear friends,

I have been living and dealing with DD for 10 years now. I have gone through surgery, NA, and recently radiotherapy. Surgery (ten years ago, after cutting my finger with a knife) was a disaster, returning very aggressively and extending the problem further into my palm. I have obtained very good results with NA in my other hand, but is only a temporal solution.

After my last NA I decided to get to work and try to convince a radiotherapist to take a look at the treatment information (all obtained from this site) and treat me locally. It is now 15 days since I finished a 3x7 (21 G.) protocol on my right hand. I could say the result has been excellent so far. I noticed an immediate improvement on the general feeling of my palm, and a noticeable reduction of nodules. Cords are shrinking and some how becoming kind of a callus.

The result I am observing after combining NA and RT is making me think about exploring the possibility of going for some kind of minimally invasive surgery in combination with RT on my left hand, the hand I had surgery on, ten years ago. I will have the opportunity to meet the radiotherapist and the hand surgeon at the same time. It will be challenging. Is like, you kind of have to act as your own doctor.

The problem is that there aren’t documented experiences of this approach, so that we are entering the world of research. Still, for me the basis are solid enough to give it a think.

Regarding this possibility, there are some questions I would like to share with you and listen to your opinion:

- When is the right time to take RT after surgery?
- What if surgery is done after a first round of RT, having another one afterwards
- Is it a good idea to include a skin graph in the finger were surgery took place? It is pretty bad and with keloids.

Best whishes to everybody and thank you in advance for your comments,

Fernando

Edited 12/08/11 02:08