What Researchers Did
Chinese researchers gave six keloid patients four HBOT sessions before surgery and compared tumor gene expression and immune cell infiltration against six untreated keloid patients.
What They Found
HBOT reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and changed expression of 395 genes, with 10 hub genes identified including IL-4, IL-6, CD80, and CTLA4. CD4 T cells, particularly activated memory CD4+ T cells, increased significantly in HBOT-treated tissue. Inflammatory markers CD80 and IL-4 were significantly downregulated.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
With only 6 patients per group and no clinical outcome data, this study provides mechanistic clues but cannot confirm whether immune changes translate into fewer keloid recurrences.