Systemic review of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for radiation-induced skin necrosis

Study finds that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reduced the symptom burden of patients receiving radiation therapy

With over half a million Americans receiving radiation therapy for cancer each year, damage to skin tissues within the radiation field are a common occurrence with longer term serious sequelae, such as reduced vascularity, tissue necrosis and fibrosis, and skin atrophy, which is found in between 5% and 15% of patients.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), where the patient breathes 100% oxygen at pressures greater than one atmosphere in a hermetic chamber, is frequently employed as adjuvant management; the putative mechanisms of action include promoting angiogenesis and augmenting development of collagen. This study reviewed the evidence for effectiveness of this modality.

Using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines, eight papers met the inclusion