RADIOTHERAPY OF ADVANCED CARCINOMA OF THE OROPHARYNGEAL REGION UNDER HYPERBARIC OXYGENATION

Abstract

This is an interim report of a clinical trial of radiotherapy of advanced oropharyngeal cancer under hyperbaric oxygenation. Fifty-one cases are available for evaluation, 26 in the oxygen group, 12 in the Control Group I, and 13 in the Control Group II. The results are analyzed as to: (1) clearance rates of the primary tumor, in which a 23 per cent higher clearance rate for the primary tumor in the oxygen group than in the air Control Group I is noted; (2) survival rates, in which a 13-15 per cent increase of the 5 year survival is revealed in the oxygen group, compared to the air Control Group I; and (3) complication rates and incidence of distant metastases which are not higher in the oxygen group than in the control groups. Although the difference of local tumor clearance and the survival rates between the oxygen and the control groups are not statistically significant due to the small sample size, the evidence of improvement in both local tumor clearance and in survival rates from our series and from that of Henk et al.¹⁰ favors the use of oxygen as an adjuvant in radiotherapy for advanced oropharyngeal cancer. A cooperative study among many institutions for a meaningful and accelerated data collection is urged.