Long-term results of radiotherapy for periarthritis of the shoulder: a retrospective evaluation

Effectiveness of bee venom acupuncture for patients suffering from periarthritis humeroscapularis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of bee venom acupuncture in humeroscapularis (PHS) patients.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty patients diagnosed with PHS were assigned into four groups: BV1 (0.01 mg/kg), BV2 (0.005 mg/kg), BV3 (0.0025 mg/kg), and control group (vitamin B1 plus novocain 3% injection) with 15 d of treatment. The outcomes of the study including visual analogue scale (VAS) score and β-endorphin, inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and shoulder function score were assessed at baseline, after 10 and 15 d of treatment.

RESULTS

All four groups reported statistically significant improvement in VAS score, motion range, and shoulder function score ( < 0.01), only the BV3 group showed significant increase of anti-inflammatory (IL-10) and decrease of pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, TNF-α) cytokines after treatment ( < 0.05). The BV3 group presented a significant difference between all outcomes compared to the control and other groups.

CONCLUSION

BV3 groups showed better recovery including reduced pain, improved motor function and normalized inflammatory cytokines than current therapy used in Vietnam and other groups.

The analgesic effect of low-dose radiotherapy in treating benign musculoskeletal painful disorders using different energies: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction:

This retrospective cohort study tries to determine if there is a correlation between the effectiveness of low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) in treating painful inflammatory or degenerative musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the applied radiotherapy energy.

Patients and Methods:

Between September 2019 and January 2020, a total of 91 patients with either painful inflammatory or degenerative MSDs were treated with LDRT. The inclusion criteria were patients older than 40 years with either painful inflammatory disorders such as epicondylitis humeri, plantar fasciitis or degenerative osteoarticular disorders of the wrist or ankle joints. All patients were treated with a single dose of 0·5 Gy and a total dose of 6·0 Gy (2 to 3 fractions weekly). Patients were divided into two groups. Orthovolt group was treated with 200 Kv, 15 mA and 1 mm copper filtration with different tubes according to the site to treatment using direct fields. The second group included patients treated with Linac machines with opposing fields using energies between 6 and 18 MV. The pain was evaluated before and on the last day of treatment and 4–6 months later using the Numerical Rating Scale.

Results:

91 patients compatible with the inclusion criteria were identified with a median of 60 years. The median duration of symptoms was 6 months. 46% of patients were males, and 54% were females. The Orthovolt group included 49% of the patients and the Megavoltage group 51%. Most of the patients (98%) were previously treated with other methods such as local corticosteroid injection, painkillers or physiotherapy. At the end of the treatment, 60% of the patient’s showed subjective pain relief and only 6% had a complete response. The follow-up conducted 4 to 6 months after the treatment showed that 65% of patients had a complete response and 8% had an improvement. The comparison between both studied groups shows that the used energy does not affect the response either at the end of the treatment or at the second control. The relationship between the aetiology and the early and late responses shows no difference in the early response but a better late response in patients suffering from inflammatory diseases with a p-value of 0·015. The response according to the treated location shows that patients with osteoarthritis of the ankle joint have a worse response in comparison to other examined joints and plantar fasciitis.

Conclusion:

LDRT is an effective analgesic treatment option for both inflammatory and degenerative MSDs. There is no difference in response according to the used energy, and most of the patients show late responses 4 to 6 months after the treatment.

Low-dose radiation therapy for osteoarthritis and enthesopathies: a review of current data

BACKGROUND

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common degenerative joint disease, is associated with severe functional limitation and impairment of quality of life. Numerous reports have documented the clinical efficacy of low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) in the management of various inflammatory disorders, including OA. In this paper, we assessed the clinical literature involving the use of LD-RT in the treatment of OA, its dose-response features, possible underlying mechanistic features, and optimal therapeutic dose range.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic review based on the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statements and evaluated articles meeting the inclusion criteria for this review.

RESULTS

A total of 361 articles were identified from databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct out of which 224 articles were duplicates and were discarded. Of the remaining 137 articles, 74 articles were un-related, 27 articles were review articles, eight were conference abstracts, three were letters, two were editorials, two were notes, and one was a book chapter. Finally, 20 articles met all the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review.

DISCUSSION

Several single-arm retrospective/prospective studies showed advantages for LD-RT in the management of OA in terms of pain relief, improvement of mobility and function, and showed minimal side effects. Mechanistic considerations involve positive subcellular effects mediated by the activation of a nuclear factor erythroid 2-related transcription factor (Nrf2) mediated antioxidant response. Further research on both the short- and long-term effects of LD-RT on OA and other inflammatory disorders is recommended.

Low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) for COVID-19-induced pneumopathy: a worth considering approach

PURPOSE

It seems that 2020 would be always remembered by the name of novel coronavirus (designated as SARS-CoV-2), which exerted its deteriorating effects on the health care, economy, education, and political relationships. In August 2020 more than eight hundred thousand patients lost their lives due to acute respiratory syndrome. In the limited list of therapeutic approaches, the effectiveness of low-dose radiation therapy (LD-RT) for curing inflammatory-related diseases have sparkled a light that probably this approach would bring promising advantages for COVID-19 patients. LD-RT owns its reputation from its ability to modulate the host inflammatory responses by blocking the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and hampering the activity of leukocytes. Moreover, the cost-effective and availability of this method allow it to be applied to a large number of patients, especially those who could not receive anti-IL-6 treatments in low-income countries. But enthusiasm for applying LD-RT for the treatment of COVID-19 patients has been muted yet.

CONCLUSION

In this review, we take a look at LD-RT mechanisms of action in the treatment of nonmalignant diseases, and then through studying both the dark and bright sides of this approach, we provide a thorough discussion if LD-RT might be a promising therapeutic approach in COVID-19 patients.

The role of radiation treatment in the management of inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions: a revisit

Inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions are a common group of diseases among the elderly, worldwide. They are characterized by articular degenerative changes accompanied with often debilitating pain. Treatments often involve life-long analgesic therapy or joint replacement in extreme cases. The aim of this current review is to look at the role of radiation treatment with the hope of further study into the effectiveness of radiation treatment in reducing pain, eliminate or reduce the need for life-long analgesic therapy and thereby avoiding the analgesics’ side effects. Extensive literature search was done on PubMed and other available data base and the findings are presented and discussed. Literature showed that many countries in Europe, especially Germany use radiation routinely for the treatment of many degenerative disorders including osteoarthritis with good results and few side effects. A pilot study is therefore recommended with a view to establish the effectiveness or otherwise of this treatment method in patients.

Breast cancer occurrence after low dose radiotherapy of non-malignant disorders of the shoulder

Stochastic long-term damages at relatively low doses have the potential for cancer induction. For the first time we investigated the occurrence of breast cancer in female patients after radiotherapy of non-malignant disorders of the shoulder and made a comparison with the estimated spontaneous incidence of mammary carcinoma for this cohort. In a geographically defined district with a population of approximately 100.000 inhabitants, comprehensive data of radiological diagnostics and radiotherapy were registered nearly completely for 41 years; data included mammography and radiotherapy of breast cancer patients as well as of non-malignant disorders. Within this population a collective of 158 women with radiotherapy of the shoulder was investigated. Radiotherapy was performed with cobalt-60 photons (Gammatron) with an average cumulative-dose of 6 Gy. The average follow-up time was 21.3 years. Patients were 55 years old (median) when radiotherapy of the shoulder was performed. Seven patients (4.4%) developed breast cancer after a median of 21 years. According to the incidence statistics, 9.4 +/- 1.8 (95%CI) cases (5.9%) would be expected. In regard to the irradiated shoulder neither the ipsilateral nor the contralateral breasts showed increased rates of breast cancer. An induction of additional breast cancer caused by radiation of non-malignant disorders of the shoulder wasn't detected in the investigated cohort.

Radiotherapy for benign achillodynia. Long-term results of the Erlangen Dose Optimization Trial

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy of two dose-fractionation schedules for radiotherapy of achillodynia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2006 and February 2010, 112 evaluable patients were recruited for this prospective trial. All patients received orthovoltage radiotherapy. One course consisted of 6 fractions/3 weeks. In the case of insufficient remission of pain after 6 weeks, a second series was performed. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either single doses of 0.5 or 1.0 Gy. The endpoint was pain reduction. Pain was measured before, right after (early response), 6 weeks after (delayed response), and approximately 2 years after radiotherapy (long-term response) with a questionnaire-based visual analogue scale (VAS) and a comprehensive pain score (CPS).

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 24 months (range, 11-56). The overall early, delayed, and long-term response rates for all patients were 84 %, 88 %, and 95 %, respectively. The mean VAS values before treatment for early, delayed, and long-term responses for the 0.5-Gy and 1.0-Gy groups were 55.7 ± 21.0 and 58.2 ± 23.5 (p = 0.53), 38.0 ± 23.2 and 30.4 ± 22.6 (p = 0.08), 35.5 ± 25.9 and 30.9 ± 25.4 (p = 0.52), and 11.2 ± 16.4 and 15.3 ± 18.9 (p = 0.16), respectively. The mean CPS values before treatment for early, delayed, and long-term responses were 8.2 ± 3.0 and 8.9 ± 3.3 (p = 0.24), 5.6 ± 3.1 and 5.4 ± 3.3 (p = 0.76), 4.4 ± 2.6 and 5.3 ± 3.8 (p = 0.58), and 2.2 ± 2.9 and 2.8 ± 3.3 (p = 0.51), respectively. No significant differences in long-term response quality between the two arms was found (p = 0.73).

CONCLUSION

Radiotherapy is a very effective treatment for the management of benign achillodynia. For radiation protection, the dose for a radiotherapy series should not exceed 3.0 Gy.

The Erlangen Dose Optimization Trial for radiotherapy of benign painful shoulder syndrome. Long-term results

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To evaluate the long-term efficacy of pain reduction by two dose-fractionation schedules for radiotherapy of painful shoulder syndrome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2006 and February 2010, 312 evaluable patients were recruited for this prospective trial. All patients received low-dose orthovoltage radiotherapy. One course consisted of 6 fractions in 3 weeks. In the case of insufficient pain remission after 6 weeks, a second course was administered. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups to receive single doses of either 0.5 or 1.0 Gy. Endpoint was pain reduction. Pain was measured before radiotherapy, as well as immediately after (early response), 6 weeks after (delayed response) and approximately 3 years after (long-term response) completion of radiotherapy using a questionnaire-based visual analogue scale (VAS) and a comprehensive pain score (CPS).

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 35 months (range 11-57). The overall early, delayed and long-term response rates for all patients were 83, 85 and 82 %, respectively. The mean VAS scores before treatment and those for early, delayed and long-term response in the 0.5- and 1.0-Gy groups were 56.8 ± 23.7 and 53.2 ± 21.8 (p = 0.16); 38.2 ± 36.1 and 34.0 ± 24.5 (p = 0.19); 33.0 ± 27.2 and 23.7 ± 22.7 (p = 0.04) and 27.9 ± 25.8 and 32.1 ± 26.9 (p = 0.25), respectively. The mean CPS values before treatment and those for early, delayed and long-term response were 9.7 ± 3.0 and 9.5 ± 2.7 (p = 0.31); 6.1 ± 3.6 and 5.4 ± 3.6 (p = 0.10); 5.3 ± 3.7 and 4.1 ± 3.7 (p = 0.05) and 4.0 ± 3.9 and 5.3 ± 4.4 (p = 0.05), respectively. No significant differences in the quality of the long-term response were found between the 0.5- and 1.0-Gy arms (p = 0.28).

CONCLUSION

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment for the management of benign painful shoulder syndrome. For radiation protection reasons, the dose for a radiotherapy series should not exceed 3.0 Gy.

Radiotherapy for achillodynia : results of a single-center prospective randomized dose-optimization trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of two different dose-fractionation schedules for radiotherapy of patients with achillodynia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2006 and February 2010, 112 consecutive evaluable patients were recruited for this prospective randomized trial. All patients underwent radiotherapy with an orthovoltage technique. One radiotherapy course consisted of 6 single fractions over 3 weeks. In case of insufficient remission of pain after 6 weeks, a second radiation series was performed. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either single doses of 0.5 or 1.0 Gy. The endpoint was pain reduction. Pain was measured before, right after, and 6 weeks after radiotherapy with a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a comprehensive pain score (CPS).

RESULTS

The overall response rate for all patients was 84% directly after and 88% 6 weeks after radiotherapy. The mean VAS values before, directly after, and 6 weeks after treatment for the 0.5 and 1.0 Gy groups were 55.7 ± 21.0 and 58.2 ± 23.5 (p = 0.526), 38.0 ± 23.2 and 30.4 ± 22.6 (p = 0.076), and 35.4 ± 25.9 and 30.9 ± 25.4 (p = 0.521), respectively. The mean CPS before, directly after, and 6 weeks after treatment was 8.2 ± 3.0 and 8.9 ± 3.3 (p = 0.239), 5.6 ± 3.1 and 5.4 ± 3.3 (p = 0.756), 4.4 ± 2.6 and 5.3 ± 3.8 (p = 0.577), respectively. No statistically significant differences were found between the two single-dose trial arms for early (p = 0.366) and delayed response (p = 0.287).

CONCLUSION

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment option for the management of achillodynia. For radiation protection, the dose of a radiotherapy series is recommended not to exceed 3-6 Gy.

Benign painful shoulder syndrome: initial results of a single-center prospective randomized radiotherapy dose-optimization trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy of two different dose-fractionation schedules for radiotherapy of patients with benign painful shoulder syndrome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2006 and February 2010, 312 consecutive evaluable patients were recruited for this prospective randomized trial. All patients received radiotherapy with an orthovoltage technique. One radiotherapy course consisted of 6 single fractions in 3 weeks. In case of insufficient remission of pain after 6 weeks, a second radiation series was performed. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either single doses of 0.5 or 1.0 Gy. The endpoint was pain reduction. Pain was measured before, right after, and 6 weeks after radiotherapy using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a comprehensive pain score (CPS).

RESULTS

The overall response rate for all patients was 83% directly after and 85% 6 weeks after radiotherapy. The mean VAS values before, directly after, and 6 weeks after treatment for the 0.5 and 1.0 Gy groups were 56.8 ± 23.7 and 53.2 ± 21.8 (p = 0.158), 38.2 ± 26.1 and 34.0 ± 24.5 (p = 0.189), and 33.0 ± 27.2 and 23.7 ± 22.7 (p = 0.044), respectively. The mean CPS before, directly after, and 6 weeks after treatment was 9.7 ± 3.0 and 9.5 ± 2.7 (p = 0.309), 6.1 ± 3.6 and 5.4 ± 3.6 (p = 0.096), 5.3 ± 3.7 and 4.1 ± 3.7 (p = 0.052), respectively. Despite a slight advantage in the VAS analysis for the 1.0 Gy group for delayed response, the CPS analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between the two single-dose trial arms for early (p = 0.652) and delayed response quality (p = 0.380).

CONCLUSION

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment option for the management of benign painful shoulder syndrome. Concerning radiation protection, the dose for a radiotherapy series is recommended not to exceed 3-6 Gy.

Immunomodulatory properties and molecular effects in inflammatory diseases of low-dose x-irradiation

Inflammatory diseases are the result of complex and pathologically unbalanced multicellular interactions. For decades, low-dose X-irradiation therapy (LD-RT) has been clinically documented to exert an anti-inflammatory effect on benign diseases and chronic degenerative disorders. By contrast, experimental studies to confirm the effectiveness and to reveal underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are still at their early stages. During the last decade, however, the modulation of a multitude of immunological processes by LD-RT has been explored in vitro and in vivo. These include leukocyte/endothelial cell adhesion, adhesion molecule and cytokine/chemokine expression, apoptosis induction, and mononuclear/polymorphonuclear cell metabolism and activity. Interestingly, these mechanisms display comparable dose dependences and dose-effect relationships with a maximum effect in the range between 0.3 and 0.7 Gy, already empirically identified to be most effective in the clinical routine. This review summarizes data and models exploring the mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory properties of LD-RT that may serve as a prerequisite for further systematic analyses to optimize low-dose irradiation procedures in future clinical practice.