Radiation Tissue Damage

Radiation is a commonly used treatment for many different medical conditions. As a therapy for various forms of cancer, it’s common for radiation to cause necrosis, the death of both cancerous and healthy cells, in the areas irradiated. 

Radiation has been known to damage blood vessels and the lack of blood supply can eventually cause non-healing wounds to form in soft tissue and bone. Acute radiation injury—damage that occurs right after treatment—usually heals with effective medical care, which may include antibiotics and blood transfusions. However, delayed radiation injury—damage that occurs at least six months after radiation treatment—tends to be more difficult to diagnose, and therefore, treat. 

The use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to treat radiation tissue damage can heal the tissue by regenerating blood vessels, re-populating the damaged area with new stem cells, and accelerating all stages of wound healing. The benefits of HBOT to treat radiation tissue damage have been shown in several randomized, controlled trials, which are available in the Research & Studies section.