COMPLICATIONS OF HEAD RADIATION

Treatment of Mouth and Head Cancers
Mandibular Necrosis

    When the head and neck are treated with radiation, either through radioactive implants or direct ratiation, the inside of the mouth can become dry and inflamed, with loss of taste, increased susceptibility to dental cavities, and bone damage leading to tooth loss.

    Treating the nose and throat can damage the brain, the optic nerve, soft neck tissue, and the pituitary gland. Incidental damage to the thyroid gland, or the effects of intentional internal or external radiation, have not yet been fully evaluated.

    Radiation therapy can also be associated with bone damage and bone death. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown effectiveness in preventing bone death when given for several months before tooth extraction. One patient who had been treated for mouth cancer, with pre- and post-surgical hyperbaric oxygen therapy, successfully supported implantation with no sign of rejection for over three years.

    Although retinal nerves in the eye are resistant to radiation damage, retinal blood vessel damage can cause visual disturbances or blindness in up to 63 percent of patients whose eyes are treated. Quick treatment of visual symptoms is often critical in determining the success of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

MANDIBULAR NECROSIS

    In the past, hyperbaric oxygen has been very successful in the treatment of delayed radiation-induced soft tissue and bony necrosis (tissue death). The application which has had the earliest and most extensive study is for mandibular osteonecrosis, the death of jawbone tissue subsequent to irradiation and/or tooth extraction.

Today hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the unexcelled leader in effective mandibular reconstructive treatment.

Studies show hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective post-surgery treatment for existing osteoradionecrosis (delayed bone tissue death resulting from radiation), and provides improvement in up to 83.6 percent of cases where surgical intervention may or may not accompany the treatment. An even higher success rate occurs with aggressive removal of dead tissue and correct bone alignment. One researcher reported 100% success, notable because it included not only healing of the bone, but the functional ability to support dentures and chew food.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work?

    Hyperbaric oxygen treatment

• minimizes and reverses blood vessel and supportive tissue damage
• reduces swelling and scar tissue formation
• encourages the body to develop new capillaries into the radiated tissues

HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY is 83 percent effective in resolving symptoms for these patients.

For more information about what hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be able to do for you, contact:

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