The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) has recently released a study which looks at the treatments available for people suffering from radiation proctitis which strongly ranked hyperbaric oxygen treatment as a real solution.
Radiation is often successfully used in many types of cancer including anal, cervical, prostate and rectal. Despite the benefits, and often successful removal of tumours, collateral damage can occur to the gastrointestinal tract and the patient can be left suffering from chronic radiation proctitis. Despite advancements in technology which allow for more targeted radiation treatment, it is expected that post radiation injury is still likely to occur in some patients.
The study looked at several medical treatments available and hyperbaric oxygen treatment was one of the strongly recommended treatments based on having a moderate level of evidence. The breakdown of treatments, recommendations and level of supporting evidence is detailed below.
| TYPE OF TREATMENT | GRADE OF RECCOMMENDATION | BASE ON |
|---|---|---|
| Formalin application is an effective treatment for bleeding in patients with CRP | Strong recommendation | moderate-quality evidence |
| Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment modality to reduce bleeding in patients with CRP | Strong recommendation | moderate-quality evidence |
| Short chain fatty acid enemas are not effective in preventing or treating chronic hemorrhagic radiation proctitis and are not recommended | Weak recommendation | moderate-quality evidence |
| Sucralfate retention enemas are a moderately effective treatment for rectal bleeding resulting from CRP | Strong recommendation | low-quality evidence |
| Alternative treatments such as mesalamine, ozone therapy, and metronidazole have not been adequately evaluated in treating radiation proctitis and are not recommended | Strong recommendation | low-quality evidence |
| Endoscopic argon beam plasma coagulation is a safe and effective treatment for rectal bleeding induced by CRP | Strong recommendation | moderate-quality evidence |
| Endoscopic bipolar electrocoagulation, radiofrequency ablation, Nd-YAG laser, and cryotherapy are alternative treatments of rectal bleeding from CRP that have been insufficiently evaluated and are thus not recommended | Strong recommendation | low-quality evidence |
Wesley Hyperbaric has had proven results for people suffering from radiation proctitis and other radiation injuries. If you would like to find out more about what we do and how we can help, then please contact us.