Lung Cancer and Heart Disease Risks Associated With Low-Dose Pulmonary Radiotherapy to COVID-19 Patients With Different Background Risks.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The respiratory disease COVID-19 reached global pandemic status in 2020. Excessive inflammation is believed to result in the most severe symptoms and death from this disease. Because treatment options for patients with severe COVID-19 related pulmonary symptoms remain limited, whole-lung low-dose radiation therapy is being evaluated as an anti-inflammatory modality. However, there is concern about the long-term risks associated with low-dose pulmonary irradiation. To help quantify the benefit-risk balance of low-dose radiation therapy for COVID-19, we estimated radiation-induced lifetime risks of both lung cancer and heart disease (major coronary events) for patients of different sexes, treated at ages 50 to 85, with and without other relevant risk factors (cigarette smokin

SUBMITTER: Shuryak I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8078051 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature