Efficacy of concurrent hyperbaric oxygen therapy with chemoradiotherapy for glioma: a meta-analysis.
Qingfeng Cui, Ying Jin, Yinshan Tang et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed concurrent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) with chemoradiotherapy in patients with glioma. It included nine randomized controlled trials involving 837 patients. Compared with chemoradiotherapy alone, the pooled analysis found higher objective tumor response with HBOT (OR = 3.67, 95% CI 2.59-5.18; p < 0.00001), alongside improved 3-year overall survival and quality-of-life scores. The authors concluded that HBOT may be associated with better outcomes, while noting that confirmation in large, multicenter Phase 3 trials is needed.
Key findings
- HBOT plus chemoradiotherapy improved objective tumor response (OR = 3.67, 95% CI 2.59-5.18; p < 0.00001).
- The pooled odds ratio for 3 year overall survival was 0.52 (95% CI 0.33-0.82; p = 0.005) with HBOT.
- Quality-of-life scores favored HBOT (mean difference = 12.33, 95% CI 10.69-13.96; p < 0.00001).
- Tumor-response subgroup analyses showed consistent benefits across HBOT pressures and session durations.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that adding HBOT to chemoradiotherapy could affect tumor response, survival, and quality of life in glioma. These outcomes are clinically important, but the pooled estimates come from a limited set of trials and should be interpreted as evidence requiring further confirmation rather than definitive proof of benefit.
What to keep in mind
The meta-analysis included nine trials; the authors state that large-scale, multicenter Phase 3 trials are needed to verify the findings.