FAQ-13

13) Can HBOT help someone with Cancer?

There is no question it can help with some of the side-effects that super-voltage radiation therapy can cause - these have always been accepted indications (see Indications). There are also several medical studies that have been done showing that HBOT can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation therapy, in other words, it makes the radiation treatments more effective for several types of cancers (see Abstracts). Unfortunately, the radiation therapy must be scheduled to take place almost immediately after decompression which is a logistically difficult undertaking if there isn't a chamber available nearby the nuclear medicine department of the hospital where treatment is taking place.

As with any new therapy, misinformation abounds, and so some believe that HBOT causes cancer cells to grow, but this myth is refuted by the scientific literature (see the article: Does hyperbaric oxygen have a cancer-causing or promoting effect? A review of the pertinent literature. Feldmeier JJ et al. Undersea Hyperb Med; 21[4]:467-75 1994 - the abstract for this article can be found in the Abstract section).

When knowledge spreads about the potential of HBOT, cancer specialists and radiation oncologists (specialists in nuclear medicine) will eventually demand to have HBOT available to their patients, but we are not quite at that point. It may take another five to seven years before HBOT takes its proper place in the treatment of cancer.

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