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According to a study published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, head and neck cancer patients with low oxygen levels in their cancer cells have a better response to radiation therapy if they also receive a radiosensitizer (a drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to radiation).

Among head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, the oxygen level in cancer cells influences the success of treatment. Radiation therapy is less successful when cancer cells have low oxygen levels. Unfortunately, many cancers, including head and neck cancers, tend to be hypoxic (lacking in oxygen). In order to overcome this problem, researchers are evaluating drugs that mimic oxygen in cancer cells. At this time, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the use of these drugs, but researchers in Denmark have reported that use of one such drug, nimorazole, improves response to radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients.

Among 320 head and neck cancer patients, the researchers estimated the oxygen level of cancer cells by measuring a protein in the blood called osteopontin; high levels of osteopontin suggest low levels of oxygen in cancer cells. Among patients with the highest levels of osteopontin (and presumably the lowest oxygen level in cancer cells), those treated with nimorazole had a better response to radiation therapy. Among patients with low or intermediate levels of osteopontin (and therefore higher oxygen level in cancer cells), treatment with nimorazole did not significantly improve response to radiation therapy.

While additional studies are needed, this study suggests that identifying and treating patients with low oxygen levels in cancer cells may improve the outcome of radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.