Finding a way to reverse oxygen deficiency in the tumor h as been a long-time goal in radiation therapy. A new study by researchers has found that injecting microbubbles filled with oxygen into breast cancer tumors makes them three times more sensitive to radiation therapy. Most solid tumors are oxygen-deficient because they quickly outgrow the supply of oxygen-carrying blood vessels that can penetrate the tumor mass. This lack of oxygen also makes tumors more resistant to radiation.
Therefore, popping the oxygen-filled microbubble with ultrasound immediately prior to radiation treatment could triple sensitivity of cancer to radiation. It also nearly doubled the survival times in mice from 46 days with placebo, nitrogen-filled microbubbles, to 76 days with oxygen-filled microbubbles. Mechanism of action: Radiation therapy works by creating oxygen - and other - free radicals in…
