| Radiation Therapy |
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12/12/2008 07:59
Wolfgangnot registered
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12/12/2008 07:59
Wolfgangnot registered
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Re: Radiation Therapy
Trev, I think there is nothing wrong with getting 15 Gy and see what happens. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, you still can continue with another 15 Gy.
Actually the timings vary widely anyway because there is not yet a firm standard defined for Dupuytren's. Hospitals used to cancer treatments are typically in a hurry and obviously some do even two treatments per day, resulting in slightly burned skin. Others, maybe more familiar with treating benign diseases, leave more time between radiations to let the skin recover. A common fractioning for 30 Gy would be 3x5 Gy, 6 - 8 weeks break, 3x5 Gy. But the break might also be longer, e.g. 3 months, and you could observe the effect in the mean time and then decide about the 2nd round.
As has been mentioned already, Seegenschmiedt collected data for the above regime and compared it to 7x3 Gy. The results were only slightly better for 30 Gy, and this might even be just by chance http://www.dupuytren-online.info/ASSH_20...files/frame.htm. The next step would probably be comparing 15 Gy and see how efficient this is.
I myself am currently radiotherapy and had 16 Gy so far. I will wait until late January and see how the nodule is doing and then decide whether to proceed or not. It's a fairly big nodule, more than 1 cm diameter (I was late myself with starting the treatment), but it seems to begin shrinking right now.
Wolfgang
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12/19/2008 19:33
bstenman 
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12/19/2008 19:33
bstenman
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Re: Radiation Therapy
Dr. Seegenschmiedt explained to me when asked about the treatment options that the body can recover from the first round of radiation treatments in the course of a couple months and then is better able to take the second round. With the treatment broken into two 5 session segments they are able to do a treatment each day. When they do the alternative sessions with one series over 17-18 days the XRT is done every other day. As the clinic in Essen has the longest track record and has treated the most patients I would defer to their protocol.
The risk of cancer is trivial and on par with getting X-rays at the dentist. The XRT is purposely done to penetrate the lower skin layers and not the bone as with other cancer treatments that target areas around internal organs. Unless you always wear a hat and SPF50 skin creme all over your body you are more at risk of developing a skin cancer from the sun than getting it from the XRT for Dupuytren's. And cancers are treatable and if I develop a skin cancer from the XRT, however unlikely, in 30 years time, I will still have had the full use of my hands and there is the odds are quite good that the cancer will be treatable in any event. So if at age 85 I develop a cancer and the treatment buys me another 5-10 years and due to the XRT I only live to 90 that is hardly a concern. The odds are much more in favor of my being dead from some other cause long before any cancer could progress to a serious level due to the XRT.
Now if I was a sun worshiping smoker living in Australia I might be tipping the scales slightly with the XRT. But I would still undertake the treatment but start being more careful about sun exposure and start carrying around a tube of the highest SPF lotion I could find.
All the other therapies treat the symptoms and not the underlying progression of the disease. Only XRT provides a means to slow or halt the progression of the disease and the loss of the use of one's hands. My only regret is that my physician, Dr. Dawn Motyka proscribed accupuncture and saline injections for my hand and delayed an accurate diagnosis of my Dupuytren's condition and the commencement of treatment during which time the disease continued to progress. I can tell from the difference between my two hands that early treatment is critical to achieving maximum benefit from the XRT in terms of halting the progression of Dupuytren's.
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12/20/2008 00:23
newman
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12/20/2008 00:23
newman
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Re: Radiation Therapy
Hi bstenman.Australia Calling,
I agree with you about early intervention with Radiotherapy. You mentioned the risk of skin cancer.I would like to alert as many persons that I can to be aware of the risks of skin cancer, irrispective of where one lives. To my surprise, in May this year,which was Springtime I was in Prien-Barvaria and an old dog like me got sunburned. I was not expecting it .( I 've had two cancers removed that were the size of the tip of a ball point pen, however the incision to remove them was about 100 mill (4 inches) .) Prof. Seegenschmiedt explained the same thing to me about RT . Every time we take a flight in an aeroplane, we receive a low dose of radiation .Most of the fire/smoke detectors/ illuminated Exit Signs all emit a low doses of radiation.
Like you I did my homework on RT and decided on the treatment . I am happy with the outcome.
Finally you made mention of " smoking." Figures were released in Aust. this week , where Lung Cancer in women is now higher than Breast Cancer and increasing , however in men it is the reverse. Regards.
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