HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR POST RADIATION NECROSIS

INTRODUCTION: Radiation therapy is an acceptable treatment for several types of malignancies. Despite advances in technology, the adverse effects of radiation therapy are still common. Tissue radio necrosis/post radiation necrosis is a frequent adverse event occurring in 5-15% of the patients undergoing radiation therapy. Radiation therapy damages the healthy tissue that surrounds the radiation zone, and thereby, can cause anguish to the patients. The phenomenon is a challenging one, since current treatments offered to the patients that suffer from post radiation injury have limited efficacy. The current paper will discuss 2 cases: 1) A 53 year old woman who suffered from supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma, and underwent hemi-laryngectomy with combined chemo and radiation therapy to the neck; and 2) a 72 year old male with prostate cancer who received hormonal and radiation therapy to the pelvis. Both patients suffered from post-radiation injury and were successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen that led to a full recovery, both clinically and objectively. A treatment protocol of 2 ATM 100% hyperbaric oxygen for 5 days a week for a total of 60 sessions has been shown to help resolve radiation-induced damage.