Radiotherapy for Graves’ disease. The possible role of low-dose radiotherapy

Abstract

Immunomodulatory effects of low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) have been used for the treatment of several benign diseases, including arthrodegenerative and inflammatory pathologies. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease and radiotherapy (RT) is a therapeutic option for ocular complications. The dose recommended in the clinical practice is 20[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy (2[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy/day). We hypothesized that lower doses (<10[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy total dose, <1[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy/day) could results in higher efficacy if we achieved anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of LD-RT.

We review current evidence on the effects of RT in the treatment of Graves’ disease and the possible use of LD-RT treatment strategy.