Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36587606›Full record

SynthesisBreast (Edinburgh, Scotland)2023

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for local late radiation toxicity in breast cancer patients: A systematic review.

E L Meier, D R Mink van der Molen, C A Lansdorp, M C T Batenburg, F van der Leij, H M Verkooijen, O Boonstra, S Hummelink, D J O Ulrich

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07140198 (Prospective Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07140198 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Prospective Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to Increase the Survival of Autologous Fat Transfer for Breast Reconstruction After Radiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Phase II Cross-over Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Hospital, GenevaRan2026 to 2028Enrolled16ConditionsBreast Reconstruction, Lipofilling, Hyperbaric Oxygen TherapyArmsHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Control
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Between hope and uncertainty: the elusive evidence on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and radiotherapy.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Pentoxifylline and vitamin E for treating radiation-induced fibrosis in breast and head and neck cancer patients.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

E L MeierDepartment of Plastic Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: Eva.L.Meier@radboudumc.nl.
D R Mink van der MolenDivision of Imaging and Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
C A LansdorpDa Vinci Clinic, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
M C T BatenburgDivision of Imaging and Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
F van der LeijDivision of Imaging and Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
H M VerkooijenDivision of Imaging and Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
O BoonstraDa Vinci Clinic, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
S HummelinkDepartment of Plastic Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
D J O UlrichDepartment of Plastic Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
University Medical Center Utrecht · NLRadboud University Nijmegen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis systematic review aims to provide an overview of the literature on the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on symptoms of local late radiation toxicity (LRT) in patients treated for breast cancer.

methodsA systematic search was performed in September 2021. All studies with a sample size of ≥10 patients reporting the effect of HBOT for symptoms of LRT after radiotherapy of the breast and/or chest wall were included. The ROBINS-I tool was used for critical appraisal of methodological quality. The toxicity outcomes pain, fibrosis, lymphedema, necrosis/skin problems, arm and shoulder mobility, and breast and arm symptoms were evaluated.

resultsNine studies concerning a total of 1308 patients were included in this review. Except for one study, sample sizes were small. Most studies had inadequate methodology with a substantial risk of bias. Post-HBOT, a significant reduction of pain was observed in 4/5 studies, of fibrosis in 1/2 studies, and of lymphedema of the breast and/or arm in 4/7 studies. Skin problems of the breast were significantly reduced in 1/2 studies, arm- and shoulder mobility significantly improved in 2/2 studies, and breast- and arm symptoms were significantly reduced in one study.

conclusionThis systematic review indicates that HBOT might be useful for reducing symptoms of LRT in breast cancer patients, however evidence is limited. A randomized controlled trial in a larger cohort of patients including a combination of patient- and clinician-reported outcome measures would be valuable to assess the effect of HBOT on symptoms of LRT.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsHyperbaric OxygenationLymphedemaRadiation InjuriesFemaleFibrosisHumansPainBreast cancerFibrosisHyperbaric oxygen therapyLymphedemaPainRadiation toxicity

Identifiers

PMID36587606
PMCPMC9982272
OpenAlexW4313424022

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.