Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Cancer cells produce a lot of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage the cell and cause apoptosis, regulated cell death. As such cancer cells up-regulate antioxidants such as glutathione to protect themselves. Normal cells also produce ROS, but not to the level cancer cells produce. The goal of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT)is flood the cancer cells with oxygen causing them to produce more ROS and tip them over the edge into cell death. Normal cells are safer from this as they procuce less ROS initially. HOT used a pressure chamber to force more oxygen into the blood and thus, into cells. Combining HOT with chemotherapy and the ketogenic diet adds another adjuvant therapy to help kill cancer cells.

Research

Moen I, Stuhr LEB. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and cancer—a review. Target. Oncol. 2012;7(4):233–242.

Schottlender N, Gottfried I, Ashery U. Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment: Effects on Mitochondrial Function and Oxidative Stress. Biomolecules. 2021;11(12):1827.

Sullivan LB, Chandel NS. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and cancer. Cancer Metab. 2014;2(1):17.

Murphy MP. How mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species. Biochem. J. 2009;417(Pt 1):1–13.