When covid-19 enters the body, the virus multiplies there. In most cases, our immune system manages to get rid of it within a few days. But in some patients, the inflammatory condition worsens suddenly, leading to hospitalization with sometimes severe lung damage.
To treat these patients, doctors are considering using radiotherapy to lightly irradiate the lungs, a practice already used in some patients with pneumonia, we learn in The research, in an interview with Prof. Éric Deutsch, head of the radiotherapy department at Gustave Roussy (IGR).
Finding the right dose of irradiation
“When the first wave of Covid started, in January 2020, at a time when no one was sure what to do, there was a discussion among all radiotherapist oncologists on the planet whether to dig up this idea” explains doctor. Clinical studies have therefore been launched across the world to assess the effect of low doses of radiation on pneumonia due to Covid-19, “essentially phase I clinical trials, with few patients, and monitoring of their condition. and toxicity “.
In Gustave-Roussy, during the first wave of the coronavirus, researchers worked on fragments of human lung tissue made inflammatory by the H1-N1 virus, which generates severe pneumonia. They found that low irradiation reduced inflammation. They hope, by the end of December, to repeat the experience with SARS-CoV-2. But for reasons of personal protection, the study on patients will not be carried out in France. But in Atlanta (United States), Madrid, Tehran and New Delhi studies are underway which all have shown “that low doses are well tolerated, that there is no major aggravation. of radiation-induced patients, and that there are patients who are actually improving, “explains Prof. Deutsch.
Low doses of radiation therapy increase the immunosuppressive profile of lung macrophages via IL-10 production and IFNγ / IL-6 suppression: a therapeutic strategy to counteract lung inflammation? https://t.co/0qs3JgITW7
– Kamal M Khanna (@Kamal_M_Khanna) May 14, 2020
