In Reply to Welsh et al.

We appreciate the comments1 regarding our article “Lung Cancer and Heart Disease Risks Associated with Low-Dose Pulmonary Radiotherapy to COVID-19 Patients With Different Background Risks.”2 It is indeed true that the effects of very low radiation doses are uncertain, and epidemiologic evidence at these very low doses is limited. However, the p ulmonary and cardiac doses relevant to pulmonary radiation therapy for patients with COVID-19 are not in that “very low” dose range. Specifically, the pulmonary and cardiac doses are very similar to the prescription dose, typically in the range from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy2—and we summarize here evidenc e that these values are in the organ dose range where we have significant epidemiologic data.
Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research