Low-dose radiation therapy for severe/critical COVID-19: benefits or risks?

VernacularTitle:低剂量放疗治疗重型/危重型新冠肺炎：获益还是风险？
Author: Jia LIU ¹ ; Yang JIAO ; Min HE ; Yiling CAI ; Hongjuan GUO ; Huafang YIN ; Jian WANG
Author Information

1. 南通大学附属江阴医院肿瘤中心，江阴　214400
Keywords: COVID-19; Low-dose radiation therapy; Pneumonia
From: Chinese Journal of Radiological Medicine and Protection 2023;43(9):747-751
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at high risk of death primarily due to respiratory failure caused by the cytokine storm in pulmonary tissues. The treatment response of these patients remains limited. Recently, low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) has been clinically adopted to treat severe or critical COVID-19 patients in multiple medical centers abroad, indicating high feasibility and effectiveness. However, the mechanism and optimal radiation dose are still incompletely clear. This paper reviews the radiobiological mechanism, effectiveness, adverse reactions, and radiotherapy dose of LDRT in the treatment of severe or critical COVID-19 patients, aiming to better understand the clinical benefits and adverse reactions of LDRT.