Could a single X-Ray tame COVID-19 lung inflammation?
NCT ID NCT04466683
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether a single, low dose of radiation to the chest can reduce lung inflammation in hospitalized COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Researchers compare two radiation doses (35 cGy and 100 cGy) to standard care. The goal is to see if this treatment lowers the need for ventilators, shortens hospital stays, and reduces deaths.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low-dose radiation (whole thorax radiotherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, one-time treatment to reduce severe lung inflammation in COVID-19 pneumonia and lower the need for ventilators.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 37 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Radiation to the lungs carries unknown risks, and the treatment may not improve outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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37 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2020
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia * Currently hospitalized with COVID-19 * Symptomatic fever, cough and/or dyspnea for \< 9 days * Patient or legal/authorized representative can understand and sign the study informed consent document * Able to be positioned on a linear-accelerator couch for Radiation Therapy delivery * And at least one of the following risk factors for significant pulmonary compromise: 1. Fever \> 102 degrees Fahrenheit during index admission 2. Respiratory rate of ≥ 26 / minute within 24 hours of screening 3. SpO2 ≤ 95% on room air within 24 hours of screening 4. Any patient requiring 4 L/min oxygen therapy to maintain SpO2 \>93% within 24 hours of screening 5. Ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired air \< 320. * Patients may be enrolled on this trial while concurrently enrolled on other COVID-19 clinical trials. Exclusion Criteria: * Currently requiring mechanical ventilation * Prior thoracic radiotherapy, with the exception of the following: 1. Breast or post-mastectomy chest wall radiation (without regional nodal irradiation) may be included at the discretion of the site primary investigator, and 2. Thoracic skin radiation therapy (without regional nodal irradiation) is allowed. * Known hereditary syndrome with increased sensitivity to radiotherapy, including ataxia-telangiectasia, xeroderma pigmentosum, and Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome * Known prior systemic use of the following drugs: Bleomycin, Carmustine, Methotrexate, Busulfan, Cyclophosphamide, or Amiodarone * History of or current diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, or an alternative pulmonary condition responsible for significant lung compromise at the discretion of the site primary investigator * History of lung lobectomy or pneumonectomy * Known history of pulmonary sarcoidosis, Wegener's granulomatosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, Sjögren's syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Goodpasture's syndrome, or ankylosing spondylitis. * Symptomatic congestive heart failure within the past 6 months including during current hospitalization * History of recent or current malignancy receiving any cytotoxic chemotherapy or immunotherapy within the past 6 months. * History of bone marrow transplantation. * History of any solid organ transplant (renal, cardiac, liver, lung) requiring immunosuppressive therapy. * Females who are pregnant or breast feeding. * Inability to undergo radiotherapy for any other medical or cognitive issues.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Boca Raton Regional Hospital Lynn Cancer Institute
Boca Raton, Florida, 33486, United States
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Hospital Universitario San Ignacio
Bogotá, Colombia
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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center
Lowell, Massachusetts, 01854, United States
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Loyola University Chicago
Maywood, Illinois, 60153, United States
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Miami Cancer Institute
Miami, Florida, 33176, United States
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Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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