Benign conditions
Non-cancer conditions treated with radiation
Radiation therapy is not only for cancer. Study the major benign conditions treated with radiation — each entry covers the definition, how radiation works against it, side effects, the simulation process, and the treatment process.
Heterotopic ossification prophylaxis
A single post-operative radiation treatment that prevents painful bone formation around a hip or elbow after surgery or trauma.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Giant cell tumor of bone
A locally aggressive but non-metastatic bone tumor where radiation controls disease in sites that cannot be safely operated on.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Pigmented villonodular synovitis (diffuse TGCT)
An overgrowth of the joint lining where radiation controls diffuse disease that surgery alone cannot clear.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Dupuytren contracture and Ledderhose disease
Low-dose radiation that slows the growth of palmar and plantar fibrous nodules before they become fixed contractures.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Desmoid tumor (aggressive fibromatosis)
A non-metastasizing soft-tissue tumor that relentlessly invades nearby structures, controlled with high-dose conformal radiation.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Vertebral hemangioma
A common benign spinal blood-vessel tumor that occasionally becomes aggressive and painful, and responds well to moderate-dose radiation.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Trigeminal neuralgia
Electric-shock facial pain controlled by pinpoint radiosurgery to the trigeminal nerve root, offering a scalpel-free option for refractory cases.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma)
A benign inner-ear nerve tumor where focused radiation stops growth while sparing hearing and facial function.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Meningioma
The most common benign brain tumor, where radiation controls growth after subtotal resection or replaces surgery at critical skull-base locations.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Pituitary adenoma
A benign tumor under the brain where radiation controls growth and, for hormone-secreting tumors, quiets overproduction.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Craniopharyngioma
A cystic tumor near the vision and hormone centers of the brain, controlled with radiation after partial removal.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Brain arteriovenous malformation
A tangle of abnormal brain vessels that radiosurgery gradually seals off over two to three years, eliminating the risk of bleeding.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Graves ophthalmopathy (thyroid eye disease)
Inflammation behind the eyes in thyroid disease, quieted by a short course of low-dose orbital radiation that spares the lens.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Pterygium
A wing-shaped growth over the eye that is removed surgically, with a strontium-90 plaque treatment preventing it from coming back.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Keloids and hypertrophic scars
Raised, expanding scars after surgery or injury that post-excision radiation stops from regrowing.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Gynecomastia prevention
A brief breast dose that prevents painful male breast enlargement caused by prostate cancer hormone therapy.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Splenic irradiation for splenomegaly
Very low daily doses that shrink a painfully enlarged spleen and improve blood counts without removing the organ.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (bone lesions)
A rare immune-cell disorder where small radiation doses heal painful bone lesions in children and adults.
Definition · Mechanism · Side effects · Simulation · Treatment