Hyperbaric oxygen and radiation therapy: a review.
Encarnación Fernández-CamachoV MorilloM SalvadorA SantaféI BeatoM RodríguezC FerrerPublished in: Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico (2020)
About 5% of cancer patients treated with radiotherapy will have severe late-onset toxicity. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used as a treatment for radiation injuries for decades, with many publications presenting data from small series or individual cases. Moreover, we know that the hypoxic areas of tumours are more resistant to radiation. HBOT increases the oxygen tension in tissues and, theoretically, it should enhance the efficiency of radiotherapy. To better understand how HBOT works, we carried out this bibliographic review. We found Grade B and C evidence that at pressures exceeding 2 absolute atmospheres (ata), HBOT reduced late-onset radiation injuries to the head and neck, bone, prostate and bladder. It also appeared to prevent osteoradionecrosis after exodontia in irradiated areas. Finally, HBOT at 2 ata increased the effectiveness of radiation in head and neck tumours and achieved promising results in the local control of high-grade gliomas.
Keyphrases
- late onset
- early onset
- radiation therapy
- high grade
- radiation induced
- early stage
- locally advanced
- prostate cancer
- spinal cord injury
- randomized controlled trial
- low grade
- systematic review
- oxidative stress
- stem cells
- squamous cell carcinoma
- gene expression
- bone mineral density
- machine learning
- electronic health record
- big data
- case report
- cell therapy
- artificial intelligence
- young adults
- squamous cell
- combination therapy
- rectal cancer
- postmenopausal women