I’ve just started radiotherapy for a Dupuytren’s early contracture and am meeting with my radiologist today to discuss radiating my Ledderhose nodules. My first Ledderhose nodule was 20 years ago in my right foot. I now have at least 4 in each foot. They get inflamed, sometimes shrink, then enlarge, and I seems to sprout a new one every couple of years. The left foot nodules started 5 years ago and hurt more, so my radiologist wants to radiate those. She said the nodules in my right foot feel too hard and thus unlikely to respond. I do feel burning pain just above the highest nodule, which I usually feel when new nodules are starting. I’m worried not radiating the right foot will result in more nodules growing or that there is a mix of new and old nodules. Is there any point in doing the right foot to try to prevent more nodules from forming? I also have some numbness on the sides of my feet that I believe is from the nodules, not from diabetes, but maybe she’s worried about irradiating diabetic feet?

Edited 07/08/2025 17:11

That’s pretty much exactly what she decided today. She’s going to proceed with the left foot, and while she did feel some softer nodules in the right foot, she wants to monitor them while I’m getting the left treated. I’m convinced there’s active disease in both feet—the number of nodules increases every year or so and some nights the pain acts up and persists for days before quieting down. For the left foot, she’s going to set a fairly wide margin that includes some harder nodules because of how much pain I have in that area.

I agree more detailed imaging would be helpful, but the podiatrist she referred me to refuses to do any. She says it isn’t necessary because she knows they’re plantar fibromas and I’m not a good candidate for any treatments she’s comfortable doing (surgery, collagenese, steroids). She doesn’t know anything about radiotherapy and said it’s up to the radiologist to do imaging if she wants it. So she’ll be doing a CT scan of the left foot in a few weeks to create the mold.

I do have a question on the urea cream; she told me to get 40% but not to start using it on the radiated areas until a few weeks after therapy. In the meantime, she wants me to apply Calendula cream a few times a day. She also recommended using the urea cream in the hard nodules that aren’t getting radiated and the knuckle pads but admits there isn’t strong evidence for it. I’ve read on some European sites for this that they want you to start with a 10% Urea cream after radiotherapy. Any advice on this?

Hello, I have had Dupuytren's in my hands and feet for many years. The ledderhose in my feet had gotten quite large - Many marble size nodules in the instep of both feet. I'm quite active, but it was painful to walk. I had radiation in both feet about 4 years ago by a radiation oncologist. This required daily trips, 2 hours away, for about a week or so for the very short daily procedure. It worked! All the nodules shrank (not gone but much smaller) and still today I have no difficulty walking, playing pickleball, dancing, or anything else. I hope this helps.