Autoimmune diseases and Stereotactic radiosurgery?

[JWW]

I was informed yesterday that it is not advised to have any type of stereotactic radiosurgery if one has an autoimmune disease: ex: Lupus, MS, Vasculitis, etc.

I am hypothyroid and the radiation oncologist didn't say anything about that? I'm wondering......

Any input here on this subject?

JW

[ppearl214]

JW,

I have autoimmune issues (I typically do not discuss my other medical ailments here but know... there are too many for me to count and autoimmune is part of it). I am now 6 yrs post Cyberknife radiation and based on my own personal experiences, the CK/radiation treatment has had no interference with any other medical ailments that I have.

As we know, "individual results may vary" and if someone is quoting info to you, based on medical-reviewed published information (ie; studies published in medical journals), do you have a link to this info so we can see it?

thanks!
Phyl

[JWW]

Phyl, I have no study to post. This all came about when I was interviewing the radiation oncologist that I think, I will use. I ask him what radiotherapy he would use if he had an AN? He said, "I would not do radiationtherapy on anyone that has an autoimmune disease, like lupus, MS, vasculitis". He said he has "vasculitis". That ended that part of our conversation. This doctor is big on statistics. Maybe, I will ask for a study done in a medical journal.

[cburley1]

I have Hashimotos thyroid and fibromyalgia..and I had gamma knife and so far, so good

[ppearl214]

JW

Thanks.  Interesting that a doctor would say that since he has an autoimmune issue that he would not recommend radio for AN treatment for someone else with an autoimmune issue.

What I will interject here, based on public/medical knowledge, is that the radio treatments used to treat AN's are highly targeted to hit the tumor and to try to prevent radiation to surrounding structures (keeping it to a minimum).  GK and CK have total margins of error in the 0.85-0.89mm range and the doctor, who may not be fully up to speed on AN radio treatment options, may be thinking of other forms of radiation that are used for metastisized growths.

If you go to the sites of the manufacturers of the AN radio treatments, such as Accuray (CK), Novalis (FSR), etc.... as well as do a "Google" on the studies for the total margin of errors on skull based tumors (which AN falls into that category), there is a wealth of info that will note how highly targeted the beams are to help prevent surrounding structures from taking hits of radiation during treatment.

I am, personally, not aware of any studies of the affect of radio treatments on AN's and potential interference with autoimmune issues.... I can only speak to personal experience (as I do have autoimmune issues.... multiple, including psoriasis, fibromyalgia like cburley and many here on the site, etc)... and 6 yrs post-CK.... I find no affect of the CK treatment to my autoimmune issues, which were diagnosed before my AN... and remain the same 6 yrs later.


Just my 2 cents.  Sorry long winded. I had coffee this am!
Phyl

Phyl, I have no study to post. This all came about when I was interviewing the radiation oncologist that I think, I will use. I ask him what radiotherapy he would use if he had an AN? He said, "I would not do radiationtherapy on anyone that has an autoimmune disease, like lupus, MS, vasculitis". He said he has "vasculitis". That ended that part of our conversation. This doctor is big on statistics. Maybe, I will ask for a study done in a medical journal.

[nftwoed]

Hi JWW;

  I've never heard of focused beam radiation inducing challenge to the immune system. As a layman, I would think autoimmune would be more a discussion topic with surgery.
  But, with any bodily system if there would be scarring from radiation ( rare ) and bodily tissue healing a necessity, if it were my decision, I'd probably like to hear an opinion of an Immunologist.
  It seems group experience pretty much negates a link between irradiation and autoimmune issues, however.

[windy]

Hi JW,

I was alerted by another member of this forum about your post. I am not sure about having a hypothyroid condition, but you might could find some information by googling the combination of radiation and hypothyroidism. I do have lupus and a host of other autoimmune problems and was told by a local radiation oncologist that I would very likely have stronger side effects than an average patient. He specifically named lupus to me, but maybe that is because it is my dominant problem. He said he had seen multiple cases of lupus patients having greater side effects or side effects out of the norm. He said he would reduce the amount of GY to reduce side effects, but he felt he could not as it would be at the expense of the tumor and possible future growth. In the end I did not use his facility for treatment, but can only say what I was informed of in my case proved to be the case. I did have issues, post treatment and certainly ones that did not seem to be the norm.

I wish you the best of luck in your future treatment! Take care!

Windy