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Dupuytren’s disease is a benign thickening of the palm’s or finger’s connective tissue, which leads to the fingers of the hand becoming bent or curled down towards the palm or wrist. This often leads to the hand becoming ‘claw-like’, and can cause significant problems in day-to-day life, although the condition is not usually painful.
People with Dupuytren’s contracture often have a hard time picking up large objects or placing their hands into their pockets, something you might do on an everyday basis to retrieve coins, cash, or your ID card. If you have this condition, you may also find it difficult to place your hand flat on the table, wear gloves, or shake hands, among other things.
The cause of Dupuytren’s contracture, also called Dupuytren’s disease, is unknown, but certain risk factors have been identified, including having family members who have suffered from the disease, being of Northern European or Scandinavian descent, being a smoker, or having diabetes.
Dupuytren’s contracture is more common in men than women, particularly those over age 40. Your chances of developing it increase as you get older.
The symptoms of Dupuytren’s contracture are fairly noticeable, and have a very linear progression, which is as follows:
It is vital that you see a doctor as soon as symptoms start appearing as if caught early Dupuytren’s contracture can be treated very effectively by the radiotherapy techniques employed at Cancer Centre London.
At CCL, Dupuytren’s contracture is treated expertly with a two-phase radiotherapy protocol:
Unlike surgery where the hands will be out of action for at least two weeks, there are no restrictions in using the hands during and after radiotherapy treatment. Each radiotherapy treatment takes about two minutes per hand.
Numerous investigations have been undertaken into the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture and these studies reveal that up to 90% of patients with early-stage disease respond positively to radiotherapy.
If you have any questions about Dupuytren’s contracture or would like to book an appointment with one of our Dupuytren’s contracture specialists, complete this form online or call 020 8247 3351.