Oxygen therapy trial for cancer patients

AN oxygen treatment given to divers with the “bends” is to be tried out on cancer patients suffering side-effects of radiotherapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves sitting in a sealed chamber and breathing pure oxygen while the air pressure is slowly increased. The treatment is used to tackle decompression sickness in divers, and to help injured elite footballers heal more quickly.

Doctors hope it will also alleviate unpleasant side-effects associated withradiotherapy for cancer in the pelvic region.