When most people hear “radiation therapy,” they think of cancer treatment. But that same pinpoint precision that targets cancerous tumors can do a lot more — ease inflammation, calm overactive nerves and alleviate pain, all without surgery.
In fact, physicians are increasingly using radiation therapy to treat a range of noncancerous medical conditions, from brain tumors to osteoarthritis to plantar fasciitis.
Radiation therapy offers a noninvasive alternative for specific benign chronic conditions when medicines, injections or surgery are not the right fit. This advanced technique works by focusing high-energy radiation on specific tissues, reducing their size or activity with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
How does radiation therapy work?
When radiation therapy is used for noncancerous conditions, physicians use high-energy beams to target a specific area to disrupt tumor DNA and functionality. Abnormal, fast-growing tumor cells tend to be more sensitive to radiation, so treatment can slow or stop their proliferation while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissue.
In these cases, the goal is not to eliminate cancer, but instead to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. That might mean shrinking or stopping growth of benign tumors, calming irritated nerves for pain relief, reducing inflammation or preventing excessive scar tissue.
Radiation is noninvasive, safe and effective for various chronic, inflammatory and benign conditions, especially when other conventional therapies are insufficient. The doses given for inflammatory conditions are usually significantly lower than what is used in a typical cancer treatment.
Depending on a patient’s condition, physicians may recommend different types of precision radiation, from low-dose treatments to more concentrated high-dose approaches such as radiosurgery.
Noncancerous conditions treated with radiation therapy
Physicians are increasingly using precision radiation therapy to treat a range of noncancerous chronic conditions, including:
Benign tumors and vascular abnormalities: Using highly targeted doses, physicians can stop the growth or shrink tumors to ease symptoms while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. It is often used for tumors in difficult-to-reach areas (such as the brain) or to avoid high-risk surgery.
Benign tumors that may be treated with radiation include:
- Meningioma (generally a slow-growing brain tumor)
- Vestibular schwannoma (a brain tumor that affects hearing and balance)
- Pituitary adenoma (tumor in the pituitary gland that can create excess hormones)
- Desmoid tumor (scarlike growths often found in the abdomen, arms and legs)
- Pigmented villonodular synovitis (the tissue lining in joints thickens or overgrows)
Radiation also has been used to treat arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), abnormal connections between arteries and veins that can weaken blood vessels and lead to severe bleeding.
AVMs most commonly occur in the brain. Radiation treatment can gradually close off these abnormal blood vessels and significantly reduce the risk of serious complications.
Inflammatory and degenerative conditions: Low-dose radiation can reduce swelling, stiffness and pain to improve quality of life.
Conditions that may benefit from radiation therapy include:
- Osteoarthritis (commonly affects the hips, knees, shoulders, hands or feet)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendinitis (including Achilles tendonitis or tennis elbow)
- Bursitis (shoulder, elbows, hips or knees)
- Dupuytren’s contracture (disorder that causes fingers to curl inward)
- Heterotopic ossification (abnormal bone growth in soft tissue around a joint, limiting motion)
- Graves ophthalmopathy (inflammation behind the eye that causes double vision)
Radiation therapy also may be used after surgery or an injury to treat keloids, which are thick, raised scars that grow beyond the original wound area. When provided soon after keloid removal, radiation in many cases prevents its recurrence and improves the cosmetic outcome significantly.
Neurological issues: In some cases, radiation therapy can help manage neurological disorders and chronic nerve pain.
One example is trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that causes intense, stabbing facial pain. When medications or other procedures do not provide lasting relief, extremely focused high-dose radiation can target the trigeminal nerve to reduce painful episodes — often within weeks.
Radiation therapy also has been shown to be effective for pain relief related to benign bone tumors, such as a giant cell tumor, and it can be a good option when surgery is not feasible or when other treatments fail.
Benefits of radiation therapy for noncancerous conditions
One of the biggest advantages of radiation therapy is it is noninvasive. Treatments are typically outpatient, meaning no incisions or lengthy recoveries and fewer complications.
Other benefits of radiation therapy include:
- Advanced precision and control. Modern radiation techniques are highly targeted, allowing physicians to focus treatment on affected areas (even hard-to-reach ones), while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
- Lower risk of recurrence. By slowing or stopping abnormal cell activity, radiation therapy can help prevent certain conditions from worsening or returning after surgery.
- Improved quality of life. Radiation therapy has demonstrated high success rates for symptom relief against pain and inflammation, especially for osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis.
Side effects and safety considerations
Most people tolerate radiation therapy for noncancerous conditions well. Side effects are usually mild and temporary.
Radiation therapy side effects depend on the dose and area treated, but patients may notice:
- Skin redness or irritation in the treatment area
- Mild swelling or irritation of surrounding tissues or organs
- Fatigue
Fortunately, most patients receiving low-dose radiation for inflammatory conditions have virtually no side effects during or after treatment.
In rare cases, long-term side effects can occur, such as permanent skin changes, tissue firmness (fibrosis), nerve damage or other negative effects on nearby organs.
Many patients ask about the risk of developing cancer from therapeutic radiation for benign conditions. Thankfully, the risk is very low.
When is radiation therapy the right choice?
If conservative treatments such as medication, physical therapy or injections are not providing enough relief, physicians may recommend radiation therapy. In some cases, it is used as a primary treatment. Other times, it works alongside other therapies to help manage pain, reduce inflammation or slow abnormal tissue growth.
Radiation therapy sessions can be a single visit or several daily treatments (about 15 minutes) over one to two weeks. Patients are awake and will not feel the radiation itself, and most people continue regular activities during treatment unless advised otherwise.
Physicians will schedule follow-up visits to track symptom relief, check for side effects and review imaging to monitor progress.
Results can vary by patient, but many people find meaningful symptom relief and improved quality of life through radiation therapy — generally with few side effects.
About Dr. Kramer
Bradley Kramer, MD, is a radiation oncologist. He provides radiation therapy for adults with different cancers, including prostate, breast and lung. He performs permanent prostate brachytherapy and HDR interstitial brachytherapy to treat prostate, breast and gynecological cancers. Dr. Kramer earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He completed radiation oncology residencies at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
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