Cancer - Oncology

Cancer Recovery

Cancer remains strongly the nation's number two cause of death in men and women and billions of dollars spent worldwide on cancer research has proven that cancer does not like oxygen. Malignant cells prefer low oxygen (hypoxic) environments in which they are extremely aggressive, adaptable and prone to mutations. Conventional therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy are only one third effective in low oxygen conditions and hypoxia is considered major cause for failure of radiotherapy.

Decades of solid research show that tissue oxygenation reduces the cancer growth and increase chances of survival. Increased tissue oxygenation (hyperoxia), such as during hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO), effectively weakens the tumor as well as strengthens the healthy tissues. Hyperoxia causes a shift in cancerous hypoxic tissue by collapsing blood vessels inside the tumor, while increasing the number of blood vessels (angiogenesis) to the healthy tissues.

Conventional cancer treatments such as surgery chemotherapy and radiotherapy are usually combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve their success as well as prevent the complications such as post-radiation wounds, infections, lymphedema etc. In general additional oxygen weakens the tumor, making the conventional therapy more successful while preserving the healthy tissue.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy stimulates the body production of chemical messengers called cytokines.  These cytokines are secreted by immune cells and act on other cells to coordinate appropriate immune responses.  One cytokine in particular, IL-2 has an anti-tumor effect.  It can activate macrophages, neutrophils and tumor necrosis factor helping our body fight cancer.

Thanks to the research of leading oncologists and hyperbaric physician such as Prof. Robert Marx (Sweden) and Prof. John Feldmeier (Ohio, USA) hyperbaric oxygen has been used  for more than three decades as a prophylactic – preventive care – in cancer patients. Gathered scientific and clinical evidence shows that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) increases oxygenation and vascularization of the cancerous tissue thus improving the radio sensitivity and chemo sensitivity. Dr. Marx has proven that radiation damage can be corrected with hyperbaric oxygen while reducing fibrosis or scar tissue formation.

In 2005, Dr. Stephen Thom (Pennsylvania, USA) showed that hyperbaric oxygen increases the production and mobilization of stem cells. Namely, one 90-minute hyperbaric oxygen session in oxygen flow chambers doubles the number of stem cells in the blood and 20 sessions increase the number to eight fold (Original Article Thom 2005 H1378.pdf). These fantastic discoveries are extremely important in harvesting stem cells in cancer patients, since hyperbaric oxygen has shown stem cell growth also in radiated tissue.

Read anecdotal evidence from multiple myeloma patient

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is understandably the “best kept secret” by pharmaceutical industry and finding a physician to refer you to hyperbaric center may not be easy.
When evaluating hyperbaric oxygen therapy options, it remains imperative to emphasize on individualized treatment plans based on scientifically established effective protocols.  This requires a careful examination of a patient’s medical status by a hyperbaric specialist and continuous supervision of the progress as well as communication with a primary health care provider; oncologist or family physician. Also the microcirculation assessment , as an objective parameter of progress is an essential tool in justifying the need and end point of the hyperbaric oxygen therapy.