Using oxygen to help treat cancer has been found to be surprisingly effective.
In the past scientists have concentrated more on cutting oxygen off from cancers to try and weaken them. Now they have found that giving them extra oxygen makes many cancers more susceptible to radiotherapy.
Clinical trials were carried out on patients with cancer including those of the breast, head an d neck. Early results from a clinical trial on patients with pancreatic cancer – notoriously hard to treat – are extremely encouraging. The method is expected to be useful with all cancers where radiotherapy is used.
300,000 cases of cancer a year are diagnosed in the UK. Finding a new weapon in the armoury – especially one so simple – is very welcome.
Note: Cancers and Oxygen
Interestingly, when cancer grows to a certain size it can no longer use oxygen from the blood as an energy source – as it is simply too far away. Now it turns to an ‘anaerobic’ method of producing energy. This ability to function without oxygen is key to cancer’s growth in the body. As it is better understood, this anaerobic feature of cancer may well be be used to fight it.
