Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

• People with head and neck cancer who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy during radiation showed a better response to treatment and better survival across several studies
  (good evidencesignificant effects in one large or several mid-sized and well-designed clinical studies (randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with an appropriate placebo or other strong comparison control or observational studies that control for confounds) (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently)).⁵Bennett MH, Feldmeier J et al. Hyperbaric oxygenation for tumour sensitisation to radiotherapy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018 Apr 11;4(4):CD005007; Sealy R, Cridland S. The treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer with misonidazole, hyperbaric oxygen and irradiation: an interim report. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. 1984 Sep;10(9):1721-3; Henk JM, Smith CW. Radiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen in head and neck cancer. Interim report of second clinical trial. Lancet. 1977 Jul 16;2(8029):104-5; Henk JM, Kunkler PB, Smith CW. Radiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen in head and neck cancer. Final report of first controlled clinical trial. Lancet. 1977 Jul 16;2(8029):101-3.
• People with pancreatic cancer who received HBOT before a pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) had fewer complications from surgery in one small study
  (preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently)).⁶Bosco G, Casarotto A et al. Preconditioning with hyperbaric oxygen in pancreaticoduodenectomy: a randomized double-blind pilot study. Anticancer Research. 2014 Jun;34(6):2899-906.

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The studies we reviewed did not investigate HBOT’s effect on body terrain factors.

• People who had received radiation to the visual axis, which can cause radiation optic neuropathy (vision loss), and who received HBOT were more likely to have improved or stable vision in a combined analysis of 14 studies (good evidencesignificant effects in one large or several mid-sized and well-designed clinical studies (randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with an appropriate placebo or other strong comparison control or observational studies that control for confounds) (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently)).⁷Yu CW, Joarder I, Micieli JA. Treatment and prophylaxis of radiation optic neuropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Ophthalmology. 2022 Nov;32(6):3129-3141.
• People with cerebral edema (fluid in the brain) after surgery to remove a meningioma who were treated with HBOT showed less edema and fewer neurological deficits in one mid-sized study
  (modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently)).⁸Tang X, Yin X et al. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen on clinical outcome of patients after resection of meningiomas with conspicuous peritumoral brain edema. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2011 Mar-Apr;38(2):109-15; Hulshof MC, Stark NM et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for cognitive disorders after irradiation of the brain. Strahlenther Onkologie. 2002 Apr;178(4):192-8.
• People who had had head and neck radiation receiving HBOT showed less dry mouth across two studies (though not as much of an improvement as with other treatments) and less pain in one (preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently)).⁹Forner LE, Dieleman FJ et al. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment of mandibular osteoradionecrosis: Combined data from the two randomized clinical trials DAHANCA-21 and NWHHT2009-1. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2022 Jan;166:137-144; Forner LE, Dieleman FJ et al. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment of mandibular osteoradionecrosis: Combined data from the two randomized clinical trials DAHANCA-21 and NWHHT2009-1. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2022 Jan;166:137-144.
• People who received HBOT after pharyngeal or laryngeal surgery showed faster wound healing in one study (preliminary evidence).¹⁰Jiang W, Liang D et al. [The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on treatment of late healed wounds after pharyngeal and laryngeal surgery]. Lin Chuang Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2011 Jan;25(1):14-5, 19. Chinese.
• Not related to cancer: People with jaw cysts receiving HBOT showed better surgical outcomes in one study, and people with osteonecrosis of the jaw from bisphosphonates who received HBOT showed faster healing in another study (preliminary evidence).¹¹Huang D, Li K, Zheng X, Liu L. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: an effective auxiliary treatment method for large jaw cysts. International Journal of Medical Science. 2021 Sep 21;18(16):3692-3696.

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The studies we reviewed did not investigate whether HBOT can reduce cancer risk.

• HBOT can be very dangerous for people with pre-existing injuries and lung problems.
• In some studies, HBOT has been shown to increase side effects from radiation.
• HBOT can also cause seizures (rare) and eye damage.

See Safety and precautions ›

• HBOT is becoming more widely available at complementary medicine centers and health spas. However, it remains expensive.
• Clinical HBOT is only available at some hospitals, and may not be offered to people with cancer. Insurance coverage is variable.

See Affordability and access ›