Dr Richard Shaffer
BSc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCR Clinical Oncologist
Languages spoken
English
Expert in
Radiotherapy for benign conditions
Overview
Dr Richard Shaffer is a global expert in the use of low-dose radiotherapy for benign (non-cancer conditions. He has treated more than 3000 patients with radiotherapy for benign conditions, including Dupuytren's, Ledderhose, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, keloid scars, osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and bursitis.
He is co-founder of Reload Clinics, which was set up to treat patients with tendonitis in a joint clinic with Geoff Scott, world-renowned consultant physiotherapist and previous head of medical services at Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Dr Shaffer is also:
- Founder and CEO of RT-ABC, set up to educate radiation oncologists in the treatment of benign conditions
- Founder and president of the International Organisation for Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions
- Medical Director of XStrahl Limited
- Co-wrote the UK Royal College of Radiologists guidelines for benign conditions
- Responsible for the English translation of the German benign radiotherapy guidelines 2022
- Co-authored the first American case series of radiotherapy for osteoarthritis (2025)
For more information on Dr Shaffer’s clinical services, visit:
- Reload clinics - For tendinopathy, bursitis, fasciitis
- Dupuytren website - For Dupuytren’s, Ledderhose disease
- Joint pain practice - For Osteoarthritis
Click here to read Dr Shaffer's reviews.
Current position(s)
- Founder and CEO of Radiotherapy Academy for Benign Conditions (www.rt-abc.com)
- Founder and president of the International Society for Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions (www.iorbc.com)
- Medical Director of XStrahl Limited (https://xstrahl.com)
Past position(s)
- Specialist registrar at various London teaching hospitals
- Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Royal Surrey County Hospital (2010 - 2019)
Fellowship
- Clinical Fellowship in Radiation Oncology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada
Interests
Radiotherapy for:
- Dupuytren's disease
- Ledderhose disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Tendinopathy
- Bursitis
- Keloid scars
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Tennis elbow
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Patellar tendinopathy
- Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS)
- Member of the Royal College of Physicians
- Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists
Accomplishments
- A review of the use of radiotherapy in the UK for the treatment of benign clinical conditions and benign tumours. Royal College of Radiologists 2015.
- Low Dose Radiotherapy for Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Single Institution Analysis of 69 Patients and 168 Joints. Koneru, B... Shaffer, R. IJROBP 2025.
- Radiotherapy for benign disease; assessing the risk of radiation-induced cancer following exposure to intermediate dose radiation. McKeown, S, Hatfield, P, Prestwich, R, Shaffer, R and Taylor, R. (2014). Br J Radiol. 2015;88(1056)
- Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Benign Musculoskeletal Disorders. Thomas, T... Shaffer, R et al. Advances in Oncology 5 (2025) 15-24.
- Radiotherapy for Dupuytren’s Disease. Richard Shaffer and Gopal Bajaj. ASTRO news 2025.