I think I should update the information I can furnish regarding the condition of my right hand since it received radiation therapy for Dupuytren's Contracture on the NHS at Poole Hospital, Dorset, England, two and a half years ago (and no longer available there.) It will be useful, I'm sure.

Although the treatment was administered well before my finger started to bend at all, it had absolutely no effect at all, and the condition continued to worsen rapidly; my little finger is now permanently bent down onto the palm.

Since irradiated tissues may have a much reduced capacity for healing, surgeons are reluctant to operate once radiotherapy has failed: surgical procedures, already fraught with complications, become even more risky.

In many people, the condition does not worsen beyond the initial stages, anyway, so the radiation option (which can be carried out only in the early stages) doesn't seem suitable for widespread use. How many of the apparent successful cases would have remained as they are even without any treatment, and not worsened at all, I wonder?

I would certainly urge anyone considering radiation treatment to think long and hard before embarking it, and I feel inclined to advise against it.


Gray

Gray,

I'm very sorry to hear RT therapy did not help in your case. Unfortunately, all therapies have a certain failure rate and it's then a matter of risk versus benefit. In the majority of cases and over quite a long history, RT seems to have a reasonably good success rate and the published control studies are positive.

In every case a different therapy may be a best fit and RT may not have had any effect on your DD. In my particular case, surgery and even NA are risky as I face losing the ability to play guitar which requires intricate hand movements. I've also had a history of an over reactive immune system and so wasn't surprised to learn that DD is the laying down of excessive tissue. The onset of mine was preceded by an overuse injury over six months. I had an unsuccessful ankle surgery in 2005, also the result of excessive scar tissue both before and after the surgery. At the time I initially faulted the surgeon but have since learned my immune system is prone to over attacking my good cells.

As regards whether you can still have surgery following radiation, I'm comfortable with what I've researched so far and the answer seems to be yes, you can. You may want to ask another doctor as I find opinions from doctors differ widely on almost any treatment choice.

Thanks for posting your experience and good luck in finding a successful way to beat your DD.

tegawarui:

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I think I should update the information I can furnish regarding the condition of my right hand since it received radiation therapy for Dupuytren's Contracture on the NHS at Poole Hospital, Dorset, England, two and a half years ago (and no longer available there.) It will be useful, I'm sure.

Although the treatment was administered well before my finger started to bend at all, it had absolutely no effect at all, and the condition continued to worsen rapidly; my little finger is now permanently bent down onto the palm.

Since irradiated tissues may have a much reduced capacity for healing, surgeons are reluctant to operate once radiotherapy has failed: surgical procedures, already fraught with complications, become even more risky.

In many people, the condition does not worsen beyond the initial stages, anyway, so the radiation option (which can be carried out only in the early stages) doesn't seem suitable for widespread use. How many of the apparent successful cases would have remained as they are even without any treatment, and not worsened at all, I wonder?

I would certainly urge anyone considering radiation treatment to think long and hard before embarking it, and I feel inclined to advise against it.


Gray