Notice 2 nodules RH, Diagnosed by hand surgeon, Feb. 2016 & Scheduled for radiotherapy on hand in April. Age 59.5 years

1. Is there anyone on the website that has developed a secondary cancer after having radiation on their hand? Given my family background, I know my predisposition to cancer is probably higher than normal. I have expressed this concern to the doctor, but he seemed more interested in getting me signed up for treatment. Understanding that secondary cancers can develop 5-20 years down the road, is there any research or interviews with patients that website users aware of? This decision is a CATCH-22 for me. Thank you. Nancy2016

Hi Nancy,

unfortunately all Dupuytren patients probably have a higher predisposition for cancer. The reason is unknown, it might be due to specific genes. The good news is that the hand seems to be quite resistant to cancer, relative to lung, brain etc., and radiotherapy of DD seems to generally have a very low additional risk to develop cancer. It still might be of concern at the age of 20 but at your age I personaly wouldn't worry about it. I myself was first treated at the age of 35 (now 67) and had no problems whatsoever, maybe except a slightly dryer palm.

Wolfgang

Nancy2016:

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Notice 2 nodules RH, Diagnosed by hand surgeon, Feb. 2016 & Scheduled for radiotherapy on hand in April. Age 59.5 years

1. Is there anyone on the website that has developed a secondary cancer after having radiation on their hand? Given my family background, I know my predisposition to cancer is probably higher than normal. I have expressed this concern to the doctor, but he seemed more interested in getting me signed up for treatment. Understanding that secondary cancers can develop 5-20 years down the road, is there any research or interviews with patients that website users aware of? This decision is a CATCH-22 for me. Thank you. Nancy2016

Thanks for the good question, Nancy. I was wondering about that too.

Like you, I was diagnosed just this month, Rt hand, 3 nodules. Like you I am interested in the apparent benefit of RT to slow, limit, or even prevent further development of the disease. However, I have not been able to get my Medicare Advantage HMO to authorize it.

At one facility in my state, the total set-up/treatment cost, if paid out of pocket, would be $25,000 per hand. To tell you the truth, I do not trust that the radiation oncologists who are doing RT (at 2 different facilities) know enough about the disease to even look at the other hand, or my feet, or recognize developing nodules/cords through palpitation. Because of the cost difference and 30 years of experience doing RT for DD, I am thinking about flying to Hamburg, Germany for the treatment, where the cost is only $1,800 for one hand.

Please keep asking questions, Nancy, and good luck!

Edited 03/31/16 09:40

Hi Nancy,

It's good that you have a nearby clinic with a reasonable charge for RT. I don't understand how there could be such a difference, the cost here being $10,000 for the initial consultation and setup, plus $1,500 for each of the 10 daily visits with the e-beam. It doesn't make sense. But, I'm glad for you that you have found a local provider with reasonable cost, and that it is covered by your insurance. I hope you'll give us some follow-up reports from time to time.