Early results of COVID-19 pneumonia cases treated with Ultra-Low doses of Radiotherapy (ULTRA-COVID study)

Abstract

Introduction:Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare system has focused its effort to find a treatment to avoid the fatal outcome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Benefits and risks of systemic treatments are unclear. Radiotherapy could play a role in reducing the inflammatory response in the lungs and relieve life-threatening symptomsMethods:We designed a prospective study of Ultra-Low-Doses of Therapy with Radiation Applied to COVID-19 (ULTRA-COVID) for patients that are no candidates for invasive mechanical ventilation and show no improvement with medical therapy. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04394182)Results:We present the preliminary results of two patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia treated with ULTRA-COVID. Significant clinical response is accompanied by lower radiological one, both have happened, achieving hospital discharge after 1 radiotherapy session over a period of 8 and 14 days, respectively.Conclusion:Preliminary clinical and radiological results suggest a potential benefit of treating COVID-19 pneumonia with ultra-LDRT.

Nrf2 activation putatively mediates clinical benefits of low-dose radiotherapy in COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): Novel mechanistic considerations

“…The findings presented support recent demonstrations of positive clinical responses to LDRT in COVID-19 pneumonia patients [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. However, animal studies also provide support for the effectiveness of Nrf2 in protecting various tissues from pro-inflammatory challenges.…”

“…Sharma et al [8] reported a 90% response rate to single-fraction radiation dose of 0.7 Gy in COVID-19 patients having moderate to severe risk of disease. Similarly, Ameri et al [9,10], Moreno-Olmeado et al [11], and Sanmamed et al [12] also demonstrated beneficial outcomes in COVID-19 patients treated with LDRT.…”

“…Based on the historically successful clinical use of LDRT, approximately 10 clinical trials are currently underway worldwide to test the safety and effectiveness of LDRT against COVID-19 [5]. Encouraging preliminary results have been reported in several clinical pilot studies [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Hess and co-workers recently shown [7] that LDRT of whole lung with 1.5 Gy was effective in reducing intubation time for COVID-19 patients receiving dexamethasone and/or remdesevir.…”