Greetings. Earlier this year, my Dupuytren’s was treated w/needle aponeurotomy in my right hand (Dr. Kline) followed by two rounds of radiation in both hands (Dr. Cha in Portland OR). As far as the Dupuytren’s is concerned, both treatments have been successful. After completing the second round of radiation, I experienced the typical weakness and soreness that follows for several weeks. However, at about 6 weeks past, I began to experience varying degrees of constant numbness, tingling, and shooting pains in *both* hands. It’s mostly isolated to two fingers + 1 thumb (though my brain often interprets it as all of them) – however, as of 12 weeks, I'm experiencing intermittent numbness in additional fingers. Getting cold results in both hands going completely numb – debilitatingly so. I went back to Dr. Cha who prescribed acupuncture for nerve stimulation. I just finished that and it seems it may have sped up recovery for the weakness/soreness, but did nothing for what the acupuncturist (who’s also a physician) labeled as radiation induced neuropathy.

Anyone else have any experience w/this? It doesn’t seem to be very common… but it would sure be encouraging to hear someone say pfffft, relax it'll go away.

A little additional info: I’m a 51 yr old male scandinavian endurance runner who consumes more than my share of red-wine. Not sure how relevant the radiation field might be, but mine spanned the entire palm of both hands due to existing nodes. Dose unknown.

Cheers,
Pete

Hi Stef. I’m certainly open to the symptoms being cause by something other than the RT…. In fact, that might even be a relief.

On the success part – there’s still some tightness in my palms (perhaps even some new scaring), but yeah – the nodes and chords have both softened and reduced in size significantly.

Pete

Sounds possibly like carpal tunnel in both hands? Have you had nerve conduction tests. Like Stefan I too would like yo know the dose and controlled depth of radiation? People on here who had the whole hand irradiated, up to the wrist, have reported something similar before.

You are relating the problems in your hand with the RT treatment.but this is only a suspected but not a confirmed diagnosis, correct? Radiation induced neuropathy may happen after cancer treatment, but it is rare after cancer treatment http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23245644 and it is not to be expected after the lower dose used for treating Dupuytren's. The problems with neuropathy typically appear only years after treatment. I am just a patient and no expert in radiation induced neuropathy but it might be that you have another issue to deal with and that this is not radiation induced neuropathy. Have you coonsulted a hand specialist already?

Wolfgang

petepdx:

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I’d be a better patient if I could think faster while in the office. But when I got home, I did wonder… did Radiation Induced Neuropathy mean:
1) The Radiation did damage?
Or
2) Changes in my hand as a result of the RT is causing some sort of neuropathy?

There does seem to be some new tightness/scaring going on. I suppose that could a contributor to something like Carpal.

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Edited 09/11/16 17:01

I think that long term neuropathy caused by RT for DD using the 'German' protocol is uncommon. Perhaps unheard of? Hence the doubt. The German protocol consists of 2 rounds of 15Gy performed over two weeks separated by 12 - 16 weeks with depth controlled by a gel bolus, and each daily session limited to 3Gy. OK you may be the first to report this, but let's confirm the dosing, and use and thickness of bolus. If you are confirmed to suffer this damage from the RT treatment for your DD it would merit further understanding why.