SynthesisRheumatology international2016
The efficacy and safety of low-dose radiotherapy on pain and functioning in patients with osteoarthritis: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Rheumatology international, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04424628 (Three vs Six Gy in Gonarthrosis and Coxarthrosis. Non Inferiority Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Three vs Six Gy in Gonarthrosis and Coxarthrosis. Non Inferiority Study
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy, safety, and pain management of low-dose radiation therapy in osteoarthritis: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology international · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of non-surgical interventions for midfoot osteoarthritis: a systematic review.Rheumatology international · 2023Pooled it
- ArthroRad trial: randomized multicenter single-blinded trial on the effect of low-dose radiotherapy for painful osteoarthritis-final results after 12-month follow-up.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2024Trial
- ArthroRad trial: multicentric prospective and randomized single-blinded trial on the effect of low-dose radiotherapy for painful osteoarthritis depending on the dose-results after 3 months' follow-up.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2022Trial
- The Impact of Patients' Engagement in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections: A Systematic Review.Infection and drug resistance · 2025Review
- Article
- Calcified cartilage revealed in whole joint by X-ray phase contrast imaging.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2021Article
- The role of radiation treatment in the management of inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions: a revisit.Radiation oncology journal · 2020Article
- Radiotherapy for osteoarthritis-an analysis of 295 joints treated with a linear accelerator.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2020Article
- Radiotherapy for osteoarthritis of the ankle and tarsal joints-analysis of 66 joints.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2020Article
- Author Comment on: Álvarez B, Montero Á, Aramburu F, Calvo E, Ángel de la Casa M, Valero J, et al. Radiotherapy for ostheoarticular degenerative disorders: When nothing else works. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open. 2019:100016.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2020Article
- Re-irradiation for osteoarthritis-retrospective analysis of 217 joints.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) has been widely used for treatment of non-malignant disorders since its introduction and animal studies show anti-inflammatory effects in osteoarthritis (OA). However, the evidence for its effect in clinical practice remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study is to systematically summarise the literature on effectiveness of LD-RT on pain and functioning in patients with OA and its safety. Broad search terms were used to search PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Primary inclusion criteria were osteoarthritis as indication, radiotherapy as intervention, written in English, German or Dutch and published since 1980. Study quality was assessed using the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (scale: strong, moderate, weak). Seven studies were suitable for inclusion, all with retrospective uncontrolled observational design. Methodological quality of all studies was judged as weak. Most studies used 2-3 RT sessions per week for 2 weeks, some with booster session after 6 weeks. Generally, non-validated single-item measurement instruments were used to evaluate the effect of LD-RT on pain and function. Across the studies, in 25-90 and 29-71 % of the patients pain and functioning improved, respectively. Side effects were described in one study, none were reported. Our results show that there is insufficient evidence for efficacy or to confirm the safety of LD-RT in treatment of OA, due to absence of high-quality studies. Therefore, a well-designed, sham-controlled and blinded randomised trial, using validated outcome measures is warranted to demonstrate the value of LD-RT for OA in clinical practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.