Radiation Necrosis

The Harsh Reality of Radiation Treatment

Radiation effectively treats many kinds of cancer, including prostate, cervical, rectal, bladder, head, neck and brain tumors. But while doctors are careful to minimize damage to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor as they destroy it, these tissues also sometimes decay or die. We refer to this condition as radiation necrosis. Unfortunately, radiation injury symptoms often don’t appear until years or decades after the cancer treatment is finished.

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Radiation necrosis can be crippling, and unfortunately most medical treatments for it don’t work effectively. But many sufferers find their pain and other symptoms improve significantly with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), an FDA and AMA-approved treatment that we have offered here at our Palm Harbor, Florida center for over 14 years.

HBOT works by flooding the body with pure oxygen under higher than normal atmospheric pressures. This high oxygen level permits blood to deliver vital nutrients to damaged cells. The therapy successfully reduces swelling and reverses damage to blood vessels and tissues impacted by radiation treatment. HBOT reduces the formation of scar tissue and promotes the growth of healthy new capillaries, helping the body to heal.

HBOT: Success Rates with Radiation Necrosis:

• Prostate and Colorectal Cancer Radiation – may cause rectal pain, diarrhea, bleeding, bladder irritation and incontinence. HBOT can improve symptoms in 50-60% of patients, sometimes even completely.
• Cervical and Bladder Cancer Radiation – may cause inflammation of the bladder (radiation cystitis) that leads to severe pain and bleeding. Treatment with FDA approved HBOT has resolved these in 75% of patients.
• Head, Neck and Mouth Radiation – may cause open sores and mouth ulcers, pain while swallowing, bone and tissue damage, and the potential for hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding). Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy successfully reverses these symptoms in 83% of cases.
• Brain Tumor Radiation – may cause memory problems and impaired thought processes, hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, low sex drive, mood disturbances, nausea, dizziness and changes to vision. These symptoms often appear months or years following radiation. The success rate of HBOT to halt the progress of or even reverse brain damage is approximately 90%.

If you’re suffering from chronic pain or discomfort resulting from your radiation treatments, we can help. To learn more about AMA and FDA approved Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, call (727) 787-7077 today, or click here to schedule a personalized consultation with Dr. Allan Spiegel. We will confirm your appointment soon.