Low dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 pneumonia: A double-edged sword

Abstract

The COVID-19 pneumonia is a devastating disease without any approved treatment until now [[1] ]. Kirkby and Mackenzie discussed the potential of lungs low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) for COVID-19 pneumonia treatment and suggested the re-examination of this forgotten therapeutic approach [[2] ]. There are tempting reports from the early twentieth century which observed high efficacy of this method to treat pneumonia by X-ray [3 , 4 ]. This may open a new horizon in COVID-19 pneumonia treatment. However, some points should be taken into account to enhance the further clinical trials’ outcome.