Radiotherapy: Beyond cancer…

Abstract

Radiotherapy, long established as a cornerstone of cancer care, has in recent years broadened its therapeutic reach to include a variety of benign and functional disorders. Advances in imaging, motion management, and highly conformal delivery have made it possible to treat non-malignant conditions with precision and minimal collateral damage. For example, stereotactic arrhythmia radioablation offers a noninvasive, single-session option for refractory ventricular tachycardia, markedly reducing arrhythmic burden and device interventions. In the neuroaxis, stereotactic radiosurgery and hypofractionated regimens achieve durable control of benign intracranial tumours - such as meningiomas, vestibular schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, and craniopharyngiomas - while preserving neurological function. Functional radiosurgery further expands treatment possibilities, targeting lesions to alleviate trigeminal neuralgia and movement disorders without the need for open surgery. Beyond the brain, low-dose radiotherapy leverages anti-inflammatory mechanisms to relieve osteoarticular pain and tendinopathies, orbital irradiation mitigates inflammatory signs in Graves' orbitopathy, and postoperative protocols significantly decrease keloid recurrence. Emerging results from prospective cohorts and multicentre registries demonstrate consistent symptom relief, favourable safety profiles, and notable quality-of-life improvements across these diverse applications. This review synthesizes current clinical practices, technical considerations, and early research findings, and underscores the urgent need for dedicated trials and consensus guidelines. By charting radiotherapy's expanding role in non-cancer settings, we aim to guide multidisciplinary teams and accelerate the development of evidence-based French recommendations.

Keywords: Benign; Bénin; Fonctionnel; Functional; Radiotherapy; Radiothérapie.