Researchers of the Northeastern University in Boston found that breathing supplemental oxygen might help the treatment of cancer. They discovered that mice with lung cancer had a better rate of survival when breathing air with 60% of oxygen instead of the regular 21% of oxygen. Besides, the research showed that the 60%-O2 mice developed fewer metastases than the 21%-O2 mice. The researchers found that regulatory antitumor T-cells in an hypoxic environment were inactive. When threatening the mice with 60% O2, more antitumor cells wake up to fight the tumor cells, hence they have a more active specific immune system against the cancer and a better chance of surviving this disease. Shall we see all cancer patients in 2020 being oxygenated while having cancer treatment?
Hatfield at al., Science Translational Medicine 2015;277:277ra30
By Bas Vreugdenhil
