British researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London are conducting a large phase III clinical trial to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce the side effects experienced by some patients receiving radiation therapy.
Patients with pelvic cancer who received radiation therapy 12 months previously and who developed long-term side effects are being recruited for the randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Two-thirds of the patients will receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy and one-third will be given normal air. The patients will participate at seven treatment centers located near London.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is commonly used to treat scuba divers who develop decompression sickness, and it's also given to professional soccer players after an injury to help them heal more rapidly. The therapy involves the patient sitting in a sealed chamber for approximately 30 minutes and breathing 100% oxygen while the chamber's air pressure is gradually increased.
Approximately 30% of pelvic cancer patients develop long-term bowel problems, including diarrhea, stomach cramps, and frequent bowel movements. An earlier small clinical trial found evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be able to lessen these side effects.
Related Reading
Hyperbaric oxygen may relieve complication of prostate cancer therapy, July 13, 2006
Hyperbaric therapy does not benefit radionecrosis of the jaw, January 11, 2005
Copyright © 2009 AuntMinnie.com
