Hydrogen Therapy of 82 Cancer PatientsScientific Research

H2 in Cancer: Follow-up on 82 Advanced Patients

In patients with advanced cancer, hydrogen inhalation can help control cancer progression and significantly improve quality of life. These are the findings of the world’s first large-scale clinical study to assess the benefits of hydrogen therapy in cancer treatment.
82 patients with various types of cancer in stage 3 and 4, participated in the cited study.

This real-world evidence study was conducted at Fuda Hospital of Jinan University from 2014 to 2018. The improvement in quality of life, of participants receiving hydrogen therapy, was assessed using the Core 30 questionnaire, of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of cancer.

After 4 weeks of inhaling hydrogen, patients reported significant reductions in pain, fatigue, insomnia, and anorexia. In addition, almost half of the patients had an improved physical condition, with the best effect achieved in those suffering from lung cancer.
The inhalations lasted for over 3 hours and were performed daily.

Of the 58 cases with elevated one or more abnormal tumor markers, the levels of the elevated markers decreased significantly after an average of 23 days of hydrogen therapy. The greatest improvement in markers was observed in lung cancer patients. To a lesser extent, improvements were achieved in patients with pancreatic and liver cancer.

Following hydrogen therapy, the overall disease control rate was 57.5% for 80 patients with tumors, visible on diagnostic imaging. Complete or partial remission in these patients was observed on average on the 55th day after the beginning of hydrogen inhalation
Disease control was significantly higher in stage 3 cancer patients – at 83%, compared to 36% in stage 4 patients.

The overarching conclusion of this medical study is that hydrogen therapy can improve quality of life and control cancer progression in patients with advanced cancer. This, in turn, provides a strong rationale for further research on hydrogen therapy as a clinical rehabilitation strategy for those suffering from various types of cancer.

Hydrogen inhalation is a relatively inexpensive and simple, supportive therapy with no or minimal side effects. Among the 29 patients treated with hydrogen inhalation alone, no hematological toxicity was observed. Five out of all 82 patients experienced various mild discomforts that spontaneously resolved within hours to days.


The Original Article:

original title: “Real world survey” of hydrogen-controlled cancer: a follow-up report of 82 advanced cancer patients

DOI: 10.4103/2045-9912.266985

Abstract

Advanced cancer treatment is a huge challenge and new ideas and strategies are required. Hydrogen exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that may be exploited to control cancer, the occurrence and progression of which is closely related to peroxidation and inflammation. We conducted a prospective follow-up study of 82 patients with stage III and IV cancer treated with hydrogen inhalation using the “real world evidence” method. After 3–46 months of follow-up, 12 patients died in stage IV. After 4 weeks of hydrogen inhalation, patients reported significant improvements in fatigue, insomnia, anorexia and pain. Furthermore, 41.5% of patients had improved physical status, with the best effect achieved in lung cancer patients and the poorest in patients with pancreatic and gynecologic cancers. Of the 58 cases with one or more abnormal tumor markers elevated, the markers were decreased at 13–45 days (median 23 days) after hydrogen inhalation in 36.2%. The greatest marker decrease was in achieved lung cancer and the lowest in pancreatic and hepatic malignancies. Of the 80 cases with tumors visible in imaging, the total disease control rate was 57.5%, with complete and partial remission appearing at 21–80 days (median 55 days) after hydrogen inhalation. The disease control rate was significantly higher in stage III patients than in stage IV patients (83.0% and 47.7%, respectively), with the lowest disease control rate in pancreatic cancer patients. No hematological toxicity was observed although minor adverse reactions that resolved spontaneously were seen in individual cases. In patients with advanced cancer, inhaled hydrogen can improve patients’ quality-of-life and control cancer progression. Hydrogen inhalation is a simple, low-cost treatment with few adverse reactions that warrants further investigation as a strategy for clinical rehabilitation of patients with advanced cancer. The study protocol received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Fuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University on December 7, 2018 (approval number: Fuda20181207).

Institutions:

1 Department of Cancer Rehabilitation, Fuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
2 Research Center of Hydrogen Medicine, Xukecheng Health Care Studio of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
3 Molecular Biology Laboratory of Cancer Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
4 Institute of Hydrogen Medicine, Shandong Medical University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
5 Institute of Diving Medicine, Navy Medical University, Shanghai, China
6 Department of Cancer Rehabilitation, Fuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University; Research Center of Hydrogen Medicine, Xukecheng Health Care Studio of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

Original Publication
References