The Effects of Low-Dose Radiation Therapy in Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's Dementia: An Interim Analysis of a Pilot Study
June 2023
in “
Radiation oncology journal
”
Studysummary This study suggests that low-dose radiotherapy may lead to temporary neurological improvements in some Alzheimer's patients, with 20% showing cognitive improvement at 6 months; it was well-tolerated, though larger trials are needed for confirmation. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
In a pilot study investigating the effects of low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) on patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's dementia, 20% of patients showed neurological improvement 6 months after treatment. One patient notably improved across all domains of the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II, and another showed improvements in cognitive scores and functions. The treatment, which consisted of six sessions of 0.5 Gy each, was generally well-tolerated, with only two patients reporting mild nausea and hair loss. The study suggests that LDRT may be a tolerable intervention for Alzheimer's disease, but emphasizes the need for a larger-scale randomized controlled trial with a longer follow-up period to conclusively determine its efficacy.
