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Low-Dose Whole Brain Radiation Therapy for Alzheimer's Dementia: Results From a Pilot Trial in Humans
Rogers CL, Lageman SK, Fontanesi J, Wilson GD, Boling PA, Bansal S, Karis JP, Sabbagh M et al.. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 2023-03-18
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Purpose We report neurocognitive, imaging, ophthalmologic, and safety outcomes following low-dose whole brain radiation therapy (LD-WBRT) for patients with early Alzheimer dementia (eAD) treated in a pilot trial. Methods and materials Trial-enrolled patients were at least 55 years of age, had eAD meeting NINCDS-ADRDA (National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association) Alzheimer's Criteria with confirmatory fluorodeoxyglucose and florbetapir positron emission tomography findings; had the capacity to complete neurocognitive function, psychological function, and quality-of-life assessments; had a Rosen modified Hachinski score ≤4; and had estimated survival >12 months. Results Five patients were treated with LD-WBRT (2 Gy × 5 over 1 week; 3 female; mean age, 73.2 years [range, 69-77]). Four of 5 patients had improved (n = 3) or stable (n = 1) Mini-Mental State Examination (second edition) T-scores at 1 year. The posttreatment scores of all 3 patients who improved increased to the average range. There were additional findings of stability of naming and other cognitive skills as well as stability to possible improvement in imaging findings. No safety issues were encountered. The only side effect was temporary epilation with satisfactory hair regrowth. Conclusions Our results from 5 patients with eAD treated with LD-WBRT (10 Gy in 5 fractions) demonstrate a positive safety profile and provide preliminary, hypothesis-generating data to suggest that this treatment stabilizes or improves cognition. These findings will require further evaluation in larger, definitive, randomized trials.
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APA 7th
Rogers, C. L., Lageman, S. K., Fontanesi, J., Wilson, G. D., Boling, P. A., Bansal, S., et al. (2023). Low-Dose Whole Brain Radiation Therapy for Alzheimer's Dementia: Results From a Pilot Trial in Humans. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.03.044
Vancouver
Rogers CL, Lageman SK, Fontanesi J, Wilson GD, Boling PA, Bansal S, et al. Low-Dose Whole Brain Radiation Therapy for Alzheimer's Dementia: Results From a Pilot Trial in Humans. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2023. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.03.044. PMID: 36935024.
BibTeX
@article{rogers2023-36935024,
author = {Rogers, C. L. and Lageman, S. K. and Fontanesi, J. and Wilson, G. D. and Boling, P. A. and Bansal, S. and Karis, J. P. and Sabbagh, M. and others},
title = {{Low-Dose Whole Brain Radiation Therapy for Alzheimer's Dementia: Results From a Pilot Trial in Humans}},
journal = {International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.03.044},
pmid = {36935024},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.03.044}
}
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Key findings
- Results Five patients were treated with LD-WBRT (2 Gy × 5 over 1 week; 3 female; mean age, 73.2 years [range, 69-77]).
- Conclusions Our results from 5 patients with eAD treated with LD-WBRT (10 Gy in 5 fractions) demonstrate a positive safety profile and provide preliminary, hypothesis-generating data to suggest that this treatment stabilizes or improves cognition.
- These findings will require further evaluation in larger, definitive, randomized trials.
Why it matters
In a pilot trial of five patients with early Alzheimer dementia, low-dose whole brain radiation therapy appeared safe and some patients had stable or improved cognition at one year. The authors say these preliminary findings need testing in larger, definitive, randomized trials.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics: journal h-index 346 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomized / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomized (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 22 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.4 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Timothy J. Harris: h-index 8 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Virginia Commonwealth University: institution h-index 851 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36935024) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
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