Abstract
A major cause of resistance of cancer to radiotherapy or chemotherapy is tumor hypoxia. This chapter deals with the causes of hypoxia in tumors and rationale for use of HBO for radiosensitization of solid tumors. Experimental as well as clinical studies are reviewed. There is considerable evidence for the efficacy of HBO as an adjunct to radiotherapy in various cancers, e.g., cancer of the cervix, head and neck cancer, and malignant tumors of the brain such as glioblastoma multiforme. Alternative methods of enhancing radiosensitivity of tumors are described as well as their potential for combination with HBO. Advantages as well as limitations of HBO as an adjunct to radiotherapy are discussed.
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Jain, K.K. (2017). Role of HBO in Enhancing Cancer Radiosensitivity. In: Textbook of Hyperbaric Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47140-2_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47140-2_38
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