Radiation Said To Ease Pain From Arthritis

Two studies published in yesterday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine by doctors from Stanford and Harvard Medical Schools report that doses of radiation reduce pain and swelling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

"The importance of this experimental radiation treatment is that it redirects our attention for future research," David E. Trentham, assistant professor of Medicine, said yesterday.

Radiation, which has been used for 20 years to treat cancer of the lymph nodes, only kills the T lymphosite cells. Because patients benefitted from the radiation therapy, the doctors concluded that T lymphosite cells provoke inflamation in rheumatoid arthritis, Trentham said.

In the Stanford study, nine out of 11 patients showed improvement that lasted through a two-year follow-up period.

Eight out of ten patients in the Harvard study, started in the spring of 1979, showed improvement that did not last more than a year.

"It will be at least two years before we know how useful the radiation treatment is," Trentham said, adding, "There are only minor side effects but we don't know how long the treatment lasts and repeated dosages could be harmful."