[Radiation protection using a gaseous hypoxic mixture in oncological practice]

Studies on volunteers have shown that the gas hypoxic mixture containing 10% of oxygen and 90% of nitrogen (GHM-10) renders a protective action on the genetic apparatus of human skin cells but provides no protection of the peripheral blood leucocytes, which show the identical character of metabolic processes as neoplastic cells. Under clinically performed distant x-ray therapy for breast cancer the inhaling of GHM-10 was found to render the antiradiation protective action on different normal tissues (skin, subcellular connective tissue, muscle tissue, mammary gland tissue), but it fails to protect the tumor tissue and regional lymph nodes involved. The clinical observations were supported by pathomorphological examination of the operation material.