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Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for COVID-19: Promises and Pitfalls.

ABSTRACT: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has exacted an enormous toll on healthcare systems worldwide. The cytokine storm that follows pulmonary infection is causally linked to respiratory compromise and mortality in the majority of patients. The sparsity of viable treatment options for this viral infection and the sequelae of pulmonary complications have fueled the quest for new therapeutic considerations. One such option, the long-forgotten idea of using low-dose radiation therapy, has recently found renewed interest in many academic centers. We outline the scientific and logistical rationale for consideration of this option and the mechanistic underpinnings of any potential therapeutic value, particularly as viewed from an immunological perspective. We also discuss the preliminary and/or published results of prospective trials examining low-dose radiation therapy for COVID-19.

SUBMITTER: Venkatesulu BP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7717342 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for COVID-19: Promises and Pitfalls.

Venkatesulu Bhanu P BP Lester Scott S Hsieh Cheng-En CE Verma Vivek V Sharon Elad E Ahmed Mansoor M Krishnan Sunil S

JNCI cancer spectrum 20201119 1

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has exacted an enormous toll on healthcare systems worldwide. The cytokine storm that follows pulmonary infection is causally linked to respiratory compromise and mortality in the majority of patients. The sparsity of viable treatment options for this viral infection and the sequelae of pulmonary complications have fueled the quest for new therapeutic considerations. One such option, the long-forgotten idea of using low-dose r ...[more]

PMID: 33437924

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COVID-19 and low-dose radiation therapy.

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| S-EPMC8429076 | biostudies-literature

Low-Dose Radiation Therapy (LDRT) for COVID-19: Benefits or Risks?

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| S-EPMC8009137 | biostudies-literature

Low-dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 pneumonia: a pilot study.

Project description:ObjectivesThe World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as pandemic in March 2020. Currently there is no specific effective treatment for COVID-19. The major cause of death in COVID-19 is severe pneumonia leading to respiratory failure. Radiation in low doses (<100 cGy) has been known for its anti-inflammatory effect and therefore, low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) to lungs can potentially mitigate the severity of pneumonia and reduce mortality. We conducted a pilot trial to study the feasibility and clinical efficacy of LDRT to lungs in the management of patients with COVID-19.MethodsFrom June to Aug 2020, we enrolled 10 patients with COVID-19 having moderate to severe risk disease [National Early Warning Score (NEWS) of ≥5]. Patients were treated as per the standard COVID-19 management guidelines along with LDRT to both lungs with a dose of 70cGy in single fraction. Response assessment was done based on the clinical parameters using the NEWS.ResultsAll patients completed the prescribed treatment. Nine patients had complete clinical recovery mostly within a period ranging from 3 to 7 days. One patient, who was a known hypertensive, showed clinical deterioration and died 24 days after LDRT. No patients showed the signs of acute radiation toxicity.ConclusionThe results of our pilot study suggest that LDRT is feasible in COVID-19 patients having moderate to severe disease. Its clinical efficacy may be tested by conducting randomized controlled trials.Advances in knowledgeLDRT has shown promising results in COVID-19 pneumonia and should be researched further through randomized controlled trials.

| S-EPMC9328067 | biostudies-literature

Low dose radiation therapy for COVID-19: Effective dose and estimation of cancer risk.

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| S-EPMC7553901 | biostudies-literature

Low-dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 pneumopathy: what is the evidence?

Project description:In the current dismal situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective management of patients with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome is of vital importance. Due to the current lack of effective pharmacological concepts, this situation has caused interest in (re)considering historical reports on the treatment of patients with low-dose radiation therapy for pneumonia. Although these historical reports are of low-level evidence per se, hampering recommendations for decision-making in the clinical setting, they indicate effectiveness in the dose range between 0.3 and 1?Gy, similar to more recent dose concepts in the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory/degenerative benign diseases with, e.g., a single dose per fraction of 0.5?Gy. This concise review aims to critically review the evidence for low-dose radiation treatment of COVID-19 pneumopathy and discuss whether it is worth investigating in the present clinical situation.

| S-EPMC7211051 | biostudies-literature

Fecal microbial therapy: promises and pitfalls.

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| S-EPMC4669049 | biostudies-literature

Lithium as a candidate treatment for COVID-19: Promises and pitfalls.

Project description:The pandemic of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-nCoV-2) is a global health crisis. Despite numerous preliminary results, there is as yet no treatment of proven efficacy for this condition. In this context, the pharmacological properties of lithium, better known as a treatment for mood disorders, merit closer examination. Lithium has shown in vitro efficacy at inhibiting the replication of coronaviruses responsible for gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases in animals. It has immunomodulatory properties that may be of additional benefit in moderating the host inflammatory response to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Furthermore, there is evidence that lithium may exert a protective action against upper respiratory infections and influenza-like illnesses in patients taking it for other indications. These promising reports must be balanced against the narrow therapeutic index and high risk of toxicity associated with lithium therapy, its documented interactions with several commonly used drugs, and the absence of evidence of its efficacy against coronaviruses responsible for human disease. Nevertheless, naturalistic studies of the risk of COVID-19 in patients already receiving lithium could provide indirect evidence of its efficacy, and understanding the putative antiviral and immune-regulatory mechanisms of lithium in models of SARS-CoV-2 infection may provide leads for the development of safer and more effective treatments with a specific action against COVID-19.

| S-EPMC7307055 | biostudies-literature

Clinician Attitudes to Using Low-Dose Radiation Therapy to Treat COVID-19 Lung Disease.

Project description:PurposeCurrent treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lung disease have limited efficacy. Low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) has received both interest and criticism as a potential treatment for this condition. In this qualitative study we explored clinicians' perspectives to identify barriers to testing LDRT in clinical trials and implementing it in clinical practice.Methods and materialsSemistructured interviews were undertaken with 6 clinicians from 3 medical disciplines. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically, using a framework approach. Common themes regarding barriers to using LDRT for COVID-19 lung disease were identified from the data.ResultsThree categories of barriers emerged: (1) the potential to do harm to the patient, including difficulty in predicting harm and lack of existing data to inform quantification of risks; (2) the feasibility of trialing this novel treatment strategy in the clinical setting, in particular trial design and recruitment, patient selection and buy-in from relevant clinician groups; and (3) the logistics of delivering the treatment, in particular risks of transmission to other patients and resources required for patient transfer.ConclusionsThis study identified several barriers that may impede the evaluation and subsequent implementation of LDRT as a treatment for COVID-19 lung disease, from the perspectives of clinicians in 3 relevant specialties. By documenting and articulating these concerns, we hope to enhance discussion of why these barriers exist, and enable them to be addressed in a proactive manner to facilitate research into the potential benefits of radiation treatment for patients with COVID-19 lung disease going forward.

| S-EPMC7726525 | biostudies-literature

Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Randomized Double-Blind Study.

Project description:PurposeThe morbidity and mortality of patients requiring mechanical ventilation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is considerable. We studied the use of whole-lung low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) in this patient cohort.Methods and materialsPatients admitted to the intensive care unit and requiring mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 pneumonia were included in this randomized double-blind study. Patients were randomized to 1 Gy whole-lung LDRT or sham irradiation (sham-RT). Treatment group allocation was concealed from patients and intensive care unit clinicians, who treated patients according to the current standard of care. Patients were followed for the primary endpoint of ventilator-free days at day 15 postintervention. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, as well as changes in oxygenation and inflammatory markers.ResultsTwenty-two patients were randomized to either whole-lung LDRT or sham-RT between November and December 2020. Patients were generally elderly and comorbid, with a median age of 75 years in both arms. No difference in 15-day ventilator-free days was observed between groups (P = 1.00), with a median of 0 days (range, 0-9) in the LDRT arm and 0 days (range, 0-13) in the sham-RT arm. Overall survival at 28 days was identical at 63.6% (95% confidence interval, 40.7%-99.5%) in both arms (P = .69). Apart from a more pronounced reduction in lymphocyte counts after LDRT (P < .01), analyses of secondary endpoints revealed no significant differences between the groups.ConclusionsWhole-lung LDRT failed to improve clinical outcomes in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 pneumonia.

| S-EPMC7932873 | biostudies-literature

An efficient planning technique for low dose whole lung radiation therapy for covid-19 pandemic patients.

Project description:This study aimed to establish an efficient planning technique for low dose whole lung treatment that can be implemented rapidly and safely. The treatment technique developed here relied only on chest radiograph and a simple empirical monitor unit calculation formula. The 3D dose calculation in real patient anatomy, including both nonCOVID and COVID-19 patients, which took into account tissue heterogeneity showed that the dose delivered to lungs had reasonable uniformity even with this simple and quick setup.

| S-EPMC7550039 | biostudies-literature

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