Clinical Trial with Atmospheric Oxygen Breathing during Radiotherapy of Cancer of the Cervix

Abstract

The effect of atmospheric oxygen breathing during radiotherapy has been studied by a controlled clinical trial in a series of Stage II carcinomas of the cervix. During a follow-up period of 3 to 5 years, 33.1 per cent of local recurrences were detected in the control series as compared to 22.4 per cent in the series receiving atmospheric oxygen inhalation during radium applications and external irradiation. If the adenocarcinomas are deleted and corrections made for intercurrent deaths and deaths from distant metastases, the observed survival rate was 63.1 per cent in the control series as compared to 76.6 per cent in the oxygen series.

Key Words:

• Cervix cancer
• oxygen breathing, oxygen effect
• radiotherapy
• clinical trial