Radiotherapy has been advocated as an alternative treatment in early Dupuytren's disease. We have systematically reviewed the evidence on the use of radiotherapy in Dupuytren's disease. Only six articles met a minimum set standard, five of which were retrospective cohort studies and one a randomized controlled study. A total of 770 Dupuytren's hands, nearly all with Tubiana stage 0-1 disease, were irradiated with an average 30 Gy. Disease regression ranged from 0%-56%, stability from 14%-98% and progression from 2%-86%. Salvage surgery was successful in all cases of disease progression post-radiotherapy. There were no reports of adverse wound healing problems associated with such surgery or radiotherapy-associated malignancy. On balance, radiotherapy should be considered an unproven treatment for early Dupuytren's disease due to a scarce evidence base and unknown long-term adverse effects. Well-designed randomized controlled studies are required to confirm the benefits of radiotherapy treatment.
Level of evidence: II.
Keywords: Dupuytren’s contracture; Dupuytren’s disease; Systematic review; radiation therapy; radiotherapy; surgery.