Radiation is often a necessary part of cancer treatment. But radiation can also damage tissue and bone, decreasing the body’s ability to deliver healing oxygen to the site. Oxygen is a necessary part of wound healing! HBOT has been shown to decrease pain and inflammation and promotes the growth of healthy new blood vessels. Did you know most tumors are hypoxic? Researchers think tumors grow best in hypoxic states. This is why it is often considered safe to use HBOT to help heal damaged tissues after cancer related surgeries or radiation therapy.
The types of cancer-related complications that HBOT has been used to help include breast cancer flaps, head and neck flaps and grafts, bladder cancer surgeries, colorectal surgeries, prostate cancer surgeries, and injuries caused by radiation therapy.
Resources
Moen, I., & Stuhr, L. E. (2012). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and cancer–a review. Targeted oncology, 7(4), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11523-012-0233-x. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3510426/
