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Referrals
Please direct all referrals to:
- Radiation Oncologist
- Pinpoint Radiotherapy
- Icon Cancer Centre
- admin.richmond@icon.team
- (03) 9936 8249
- (03) 9978 9427
Other enquiries to:
- admin@pinpointradiotherapy.com.au
- Confirmation that referral has been received
- Rapid access for your patients
- Detailed letter following consultation
If you would like to speak with us first
We are very happy to speak with you if you would like to discuss whether or not our service may be suitable for your patient.
Please email admin@pinpointradiotherapy.com.au and we will reply within 24 hours.
If more urgent, please contact our main office on (03) 9936 8249
Information on Low-dose Radiotherapy
Download our Introduction Letter for Doctors
As Low-dose Radiotherapy is a relatively new treatment option in Australia, we have created an introduction letter for you.
Download PDF
If you would like to take a deeper dive
How does LDRT work?
At low doses, radiation is thought to exert anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects within treated tissues.
Laboratory and clinical research suggest that low-dose radiation may:
• Modulate inflammatory signalling pathways
• Influence immune cell activity within affected tissue
• Alter local pain-related pathways
These biological effects are believed to contribute to symptom improvement in some patients.
Not all patients experience benefit, and response cannot be predicted with certainty.
Efficacy
LDRT has been used for decades in parts of Europe and is gaining attention throughout the world including the UK, the USA and more recently in Australia.
There are multiple cohort studies predominantly from Europe, and recently from the USA using a contemporary treatment protocol – which combined suggest efficacy particularly in early to moderate stages (Kellgren-Lawrence Grade 1-3).
Recent presentation of the LoRD-KNeA Randomised Controlled Trial at ASTRO 2025 demonstrated efficacy beyond sham.
10-year follow up of a Russian Randomised Controlled Trial has demonstrated improved pain and function scores, along with reduced arthroplasty rates in the LDRT arm compared with the sham group. In addition, there appears to be a significant joint preservation effect demonstrated on both MRI and x-ray imaging on prolonged follow up, raising the question as to whether LDRT could potentially be disease modifying rather than just symptom modifying.
While these recent results are encouraging, there have been mixed reports previously. We await the results of further multi-centre randomised controlled trials.
Safety
Low toxicity observed across decades of use in Europe, with recent systematic reviews confirming favourable risk-benefit.
Acute Side Effects may include a mild transient pain flare, erythema/dry skin (Grade 1), or rare fatigue with an incidence ~5% in modern series, resolving within weeks without intervention.
With any radiation exposure there is always a risk of developing a secondary cancer. For the very low doses used in LDRT, theoretical excess absolute risk is suggested to be very low at ~0.01-0.05% per Gy (minimal bone marrow exposure at knee); no excess cancers observed in multiple large European series with long term follow up. Risk is age-dependent and likely negligible over age 50.