A growing number of U.S. radiation specialists are beginning to offer low-dose X-ray therapy to treat a wide range of benign conditions.
The trend began to take off after the American Society for Radiation Oncology covered the use of low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) for non-malignant conditions in its quarterly newsletter last year. Now, an increasing number of medical professionals are using it to treat noncancerous conditions like plantar fasciitis.
LDRT uses low doses of radiation to suppress inflammatory cells. According to radiation oncologist Sanjay Mehta, six LDRT treatments expose a patient to roughly the same amount of radiation as a single cancer treatment.
Mehta says the form of treatment actually dates back to nearly the time X-rays were first discovered in 1895. However, due to radiation fears and the advent of new treatment options, the therapy eventually became less popular.
Gopal Bajaj, the musculoskeletal lead for the American Society for Radiation Oncology task force on non-oncologic disease, said he first encountered the treatment roughly a decade back when a patient with Dupuytren’s contracture requested it. The condition involves the thickening of the skin on the palm, sometimes resulting in fingers curling under.
After researching LDRT, Bajaj decided to try the therapy and found it halted the condition’s progression. Since then, he has treated around 800 people with the disease, with “fewer than 5 to 8 percent” experiencing a worsening of their symptoms, per The Washington Post.
A 2024 survey conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs of 48 studies on the use of LDRT to treat a variety of conditions found mixed evidence around its effectiveness. However, it concluded there was no reason not to try it “after conventional therapy fails.”
Despite the purported benefits, LDRT has its risks.
Even small doses of radiation exposure over a lifetime can increase the risk of cancer, according to the EPA. However, these risks are typically specific to organs that possess “a lot of dividing cells,” said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Body parts like hands and feet, he said, are less of a concern.