HBOT and Breast Cancer

James Slaby, MD, discusses hyperbaric oxygen therapy's (HBO's) effect on breast cancer cells.

Photo: James Slaby, MD

The total metastatic load in the lung is reduced after HBO --— that’s one of the most significant new findings from a 2007 study. Despite the misconception that HBO could actually have cancer-enhancing effect, HBO is frequently administered to cancer patients.

In the 2007 study, Haroon, Patel, and Al-Mehdi decided to evaluate the growth of murine breast cancer cells in the lung after hyperbaric oxygen treatment in an experimental metastasis assay. To do this, young nu/nu mice were injected intravenously with 3x 10(3) 4T1-GFP tumor cells per g body weight followed by lung isolation, perfusion, and intact organ epifluorescence microscopy 1 to 37 days after injection. A group of animals (n=32) was exposed once daily for five days a week to 45 minutes of 2.8 ATA hyperbaric oxygen in a research animal chamber.

Control animals (n=31) were not subjected to HBO, but received similar intravenous administration of 3x 10(3) 4T 1- GFP tumor cells. Single tumor cells and colonies were counted in the subpleural vessels in areas of about 0.5 cm2 of lung surface [Haroon et al]. What Haroon et al found was that HBO treatment did not lead to an increase in the number of the large colonies or small colonies in the lungs. Instead, there was a significant reduction in the number of the large colonies when observed at varying periods of the time after hyperbaric treatment.

Most importantly, there was a significant decrease in large colony size in the HBO group during all periods of observation. The results indicate that HBO is not prometastatic for breast cancer cells, but, instead restricts the growth of large tumor cell colonies [Haroon et al]. One of the most significant new findings from the study was that the total metastic load (the combined mass of large colonies, small colonies, and the single cell colonies in the target organ) in the lung is reduced after HBO. What’s more, HBO treatment did not lead to an increase in the combined number of metastic foci in the lung. The load reduction was accomplished because the size of the colonies was limited states Haroon et al.

Studies reveal that there is no adverse effect of HBO on tumor growth. In fact, the research suggests that HBO may have an anti-cancer effect with breast cancer cells. Use of HBO in human breast cancer patients did not have any adverse effects in a recent long-term follow up study and is even considered for treating lymphedema associated with breast cancer surgery.

These findings represent good news for patients that have cancer and other issues that would benefit from HBO therapy. In the past we were hesitant to use HBO on patients with cancer for fear of encouraging tumor growth. Now, for example, a patient with breast cancer that needed radiation therapy and developed soft tissues radiation neurosis would benefit from HBO therapy. As a result, her healing ability after breast reconstruction would improve.

Dr. James Slaby is a plastic surgeon specializing in wound care and a panel physician at the Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Oxygen Center at Wooster Community Hospital.