Abstract
Abstract Previous reports have suggested that some normal tissues are more sensitive when irradiated in hyperbaric oxygen. To test the validity of these reports an accurate method of assessment was devised which was based on human rectal mucosa as the tissue for investigation. The response to irradiation in hyperbaric oxygen and air was compared by measuring the cellular content of serial biopsies taken from patients being treated in a controlled trial of hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to radiotherapy for advanced pelvic tumours. In each specimen epithelial and goblet cells were counted, as were the cells undergoing mitosis. By pooling all the results for specific times after irradiation, consistent curves were obtained which indicate that the total number of cells is unaffected, whether the irradiation is given in air or in oxygen. There was a depression in mitoses in the oxygen series when compared to the air series and a reciprocal elevation of the goblet cell component. The evidence therefore suggest...
Published Version
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