Radiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen. Report of a Medical Research Council Working Party.

The M.R.C. Working Party has coordinated randomised clinical trials to assess hyperbaric oxygen as a sensitiser in radiotherapy. 1669 patients were registered in these studies between 1963 and 1976. Hyperbaric oxygen significantly improved both survival and local tumour control after radiotherapy for head-and-neck tumours and for advanced carcinoma of the cervix. In carcinoma of the bronchus there seemed to be some improvement in survival but this was not statistically singificant. In carcinoma of the bladder hyperbaric oxygen has shown no benefit. Centres already equipped with hyperbaric chambers should continue to use them for those types of tumour shown to benefit. Since hyperbaric oxygen treatment makes great demands on medical and other staff, extension of its use must await comparison with other methods for improving radiotherapy which are now being evaluated.