Low Dose Radiation Therapy for COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Pilot Study

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as pandemic in March 2020. Currently there is no vaccine or 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. Methods: From 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. Results: All patients completed the prescribed treatment. Nine patients had complete clinical recovery mostly within a period ranging from 3-7 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. Conclusion: Results of our study (90% response rate) suggest the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of LDRT in COVID-19 patients having moderate to severe risk disease. This mandates a randomized controlled trial to establish the clinical efficacy of LDRT in COVID-19 pneumonia.