What Researchers Did
Researchers coordinated randomized clinical trials involving 1669 patients to evaluate hyperbaric oxygen as a sensitizer in radiotherapy between 1963 and 1976.
What They Found
Hyperbaric oxygen significantly improved both survival and local tumor control after radiotherapy for head and neck tumors and for advanced carcinoma of the cervix. While there was some non-significant improvement in survival for bronchial carcinoma, no benefit was observed for bladder carcinoma.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients, this historical study suggests hyperbaric oxygen could be considered for specific cancers like head and neck or advanced cervical carcinoma when undergoing radiotherapy. However, its demanding nature means its broader use would require comparison with modern radiotherapy enhancements.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation is the study's age, meaning its findings may not fully reflect current radiotherapy practices or available alternative treatments.