Cancer patients may also be a perfect candidate for including HBOT within treatment plan. Cancer refers to any of the many diseases that are identified by development of abnormal cells that proliferate and divide uncontrollably which can infiltrate and destroy normal body tissues. This also often provides the cancer with the ability to spread from the initial tumor throughout other regions of the body. In 2013 there were over 1 million people diagnosed with cancer and over 500,000 deaths related to cancer.
HBOT and Cancer
Alongside conventional treatment plans such as chemotherapy and radiation, HBOT is being used to enhance recovery. It does so by stimulating tumor regression and reducing potential side effects of other portions of treatment. Interestingly, cancers thrive within hypoxic environments, where there is too little oxygen. It follows then that with HBOT and the increased levels of pure oxygen administered to patient, the tumors would be weakened, and their aggressiveness diminished. As a breakdown of what benefits have been demonstrated when using HBOT with cancer patients:
Enhance Outcomes of Conventional Treatment and Therapy
- Reduce tumor lack of oxygen leading to better results from radiation therapy and chemotherapy as well as brain treatment
- Decrease drug resistant capabilities of tumors
- Increase intravenous Vitamin C therapy effects
- Enhance chemotherapy uptake
Reduce Side Effects of Conventional Treatment and Therapy
- Reduced radiation and chemotherapy side effects
- Accelerate post-operative healing and recovery while simultaneously preventing infection
- Reduce Chemo-Brain Syndrome symptoms, or the brain fog and cognitive issues sometimes felt for the duration of treatment
Reduce Tumor Aggressiveness
- Weaken hypoxic tumors
- Target metastatic tumors, or those that have spread from the initial point where the tumor began to other distal parts of the body
A Clinical Study in HBOT Effectiveness for Tumor Regression
A deeper look at one study used 29 patients to evaluate the efficacy of radiation when combined with HBOT for patients with a malignant glioma, or a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord. 15 of the 29 patients were given radiotherapy daily after HBOT sessions and the remaining 14 patients were treated with radiotherapy and no HBOT session at all. The HBOT group saw 50% or greater tumor regression – or reduced size of the tumor – in 11 out of 15 participants – a whopping 73% of the participants. In the non-HBOT group, only 4 out of 14 patients (29%) saw any tumor regression. There were no serious side effects noted in the HBOT group.
HBOT and Cancer Prevention
But that doesn’t mean that HBOT is limited in the use case of patients who currently have cancer. Oxygen therapy can also be yielded as a preventative measure against cancer, especially in the case of those with familial history of cancer. Not only can the HBOT sessions aide in decreasing inflammatory markers, but also normalize the intracellular oxygen levels, stimulate cellular detoxification, reduce the risk of pathogenic inflammatory-related tumors, and support cellular energy processes for optimal DNA repair. In the fight against cancer, the possibilities using HBOT are near endless.
