The effects of low-dose radiation therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s dementia: an interim analysis of a pilot study

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Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to determine whether low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) is effective in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Materials and Methods: We included patients according to the following criteria: probable Alzhei-mer's dementia according to the New Diagnostic Criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease; confirmation of amyloid plaque deposits on baseline amyloid positron emission tomography (PET); a Korean Mini-Mental State Examination 2nd edition (K-MMSE-2) score of 13–26; and a Global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5–2 points. LDRT was performed six times at 0.5 Gy each. Post-treat-ment cognitive function tests and PET-CT examinations were performed to evaluate efficacy. The medication for AD treatment was maintained throughout the study period. Results: At 6 months after LDRT, neurological improvement was seen in 20% of patients. Patient #2 showed improvement in all domains of the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II (SNSB-II). Moreover, the K-MMSE-2 and Geriatric Depression Score-Short Form scores improved from 20 to 23 and from 8 to 2, respectively. For patient #3, the CDR score (sum of box score) improved from 1 (4.0) to 1 (3.5) at 3 months follow-up. Moreover, the Z scores for language and related functions, memory, and frontal executive function improved to-2.56,-1.86, and-1.32, respectively at the 6-month fol-low-up. Two patients complained of mild nausea and mild hair loss during LDRT, which improved after treatment. Conclusion: One of the five patients with AD treated with LDRT experienced a temporary improvement in SNSB-II. LDRT is tolerable in patients with AD. We are currently under follow-up and will conduct cognitive function tests after 12 months after LDRT. A large-scale randomized controlled trial with a longer follow-up period is warranted to determine the effect of LDRT on patients with AD.

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APA

Kim, A., Lee, J., Moon, H., Kim, C., Yoo, M. Y., Park, W. Y., … Seo, Y. S. (2023). The effects of low-dose radiation therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s dementia: an interim analysis of a pilot study. Radiation Oncology Journal, 41(2), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.3857/roj.2023.00052

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