Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka University, 2-2 D10, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
Int J Clin Oncol. 2013 Jun;18(3):364-70. doi: 10.1007/s10147-013-0537-6. Epub 2013 Mar 5.
The presence of hypoxic tumor cells is widely regarded as one of the main reasons behind the failure to control malignant tumors with radiotherapy treatments. Since hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) improves the oxygen supply to the hypoxic tumor cells, HBO therapy has previously been used in combination with simultaneous radiotherapy to treat malignant tumors. In some clinical trials, significant improvements in local control and survival have been seen in cancers of the head and neck and the uterine cervix. However, the delivery of simultaneous HBO therapy and radiotherapy is both complex and time-consuming, with some trials reporting increased side effects. As a result, the regimen of HBO therapy in combination with simultaneous radiotherapy has yet to be used as a standard treatment for malignant tumors. In recent years, however, radiotherapy immediately after HBO therapy has been emerging as an attractive approach for overcoming hypoxia in cancer treatment. Several studies have reported that radiotherapy immediately after HBO therapy was safe and seemed to be effective in patients with high-grade gliomas. Also, this approach may protect normal tissues from radiation injury. To accurately estimate whether the delivery of radiotherapy immediately after HBO therapy can be beneficial in patients with high-grade gliomas and other cancers, further prospective studies are warranted.
缺氧肿瘤细胞的存在被广泛认为是放疗治疗恶性肿瘤失败的主要原因之一。由于高压氧治疗（HBO）可以改善缺氧肿瘤细胞的供氧，因此 HBO 治疗以前曾与同时进行的放疗联合用于治疗恶性肿瘤。在一些临床试验中，头颈部和宫颈癌的局部控制和生存率均有显著提高。然而，同时进行 HBO 治疗和放疗的实施既复杂又耗时，一些试验报告副作用增加。因此，HBO 治疗联合同时放疗的方案尚未被用作恶性肿瘤的标准治疗。然而，近年来，HBO 治疗后立即进行放疗作为克服癌症治疗中缺氧的一种有吸引力的方法正在出现。几项研究报告称，HBO 治疗后立即进行放疗在高级别脑胶质瘤患者中是安全的，似乎有效。此外，这种方法还可以保护正常组织免受辐射损伤。为了准确评估 HBO 治疗后立即进行放疗是否有益于高级别脑胶质瘤和其他癌症患者，需要进一步的前瞻性研究。
