Are there safe and effective treatments for the late effects of radiation therapy?
Unfortunately, there are many early and late effects of radiation therapy. These effects can sometimes appear immediately, many months, or even years, later.
The good news is that CMS-approved therapies and comprehensive treatment plans are available for patients everywhere. And Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is one of those treatments.
In fact, some of the most common indications for HBOT are late effects of radiation therapy. From a recent article in the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine:
Approximately one-third of the patients in the United States who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy are being treated for late effects of radiation therapy (LERT)... Unfortunately, ionizing radiation when used to treat cancer is a double-edged sword. It is highly effective at killing the malignancy and curing cancer. However, it is indiscriminate, and despite best efforts and intentions, there is no way to protect nonmalignant tissues from being irreparably damaged by the ionizing radiation.
The NIH definition makes a great point, in that while radiation therapy is an excellent treatment for cancer, ionizing radiation can have significantly deleterious effects on healthy surrounding tissue.
What are some of the most common late effects of radiation therapy?
Though this is not an exhaustive list, these are some of the most common:
Radiation Cystitis
Radiation Tissue Injury After Mastectomy
Proctitis Bowel Injury And Bleeding
Compromised Skin Grafts And Flaps After Breast Cancer Therapy Or Mastectomy
Soft Tissue Radionecrosiss (STRN)
Chronic Radiation Tissue Injury (CRTI)
Osteoradionecrosis (ORN)
The damage is also most commonly found in the region where the radiotherapy was concentrated.
It’s estimated that over half of the approximately 950,000 patients who will receive radiotherapy as a cancer treatment this year will experience adverse side effects. Of those, approximately 30,000 will experience significant radiation complications, like those listed above.
At CūtisCare, our team is dedicated to helping our clients provide safe and effective HBOT treatments to patients as part of a comprehensive wound care team.
So how can wound care teams help patients struggling with late effects of radiation therapy achieve excellent outcomes with HBOT?
As the lungs take in large amounts of pressurized oxygen [in the hyperbaric chamber], the patient’s blood becomes more highly oxygenated. As the oxygen-rich blood circulates, it carries more oxygen to the affected areas, such as previously irradiated tissue that has become damaged. Hyperbaric oxygen increases the dissolved oxygen and increases the amount of oxygenated plasma that is dissolved in damaged tissue.
That primary healing mechanism can provide life-changing outcomes for patients suffering from virtually any of the manifestations of the late effects of radiation therapy.
And that’s excellent news for patients and care teams everywhere.
Could your hospital, practice, or clinic benefit from the latest in CMS-approved HBOT treatments for radiation therapy and breast cancer treatment wounds?
Radiation wound care management and hyperbaric oxygen therapy solutions provide proven treatments designed to:
Improve your patients’ quality of life
Reduce infections and tissue necrosis
Lower amputation rates
Create hope for patients in your community
Are you planning to establish a comprehensive wound care center, or perhaps re-evaluating your current wound management practice or program?
Would you like to become a recognized wound care center of excellence?
Or do you just have some questions about wound care and Hyperbaric Medicine?
Wherever you’re at in your journey toward improved wound care, we’d love to share our 25 years of knowledge and experience with you. Get in touch with one of our HBOT thought leaders today.
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