Application of low dose radiation therapy in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia.

ABSTRACT

With the global pandemic of COVID-19, cytokine storms in critical patients with pneumonia is really a problem and need to be solved immediately.Low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) has been temporarily used to treat pneumonia.In the past decades, researchers were dedicated to clarify the biological mechanism of LDRT.LDRT plays a unique role in the suppression of inflammation, preliminary outcomes have been acquired in critical patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, and radiotherapy community is paying attention to this treatment strategy.This review summarizes the application of LDRT in pneumonia, its biological mechanism, the result of LDRT in COVID-19 pneumonia, the existing problems and prospective in clinic.Copyright © 2021 Chinese Medical Association