Supplemental Oxygen Renders Tumors Vulnerable to Immune Attack

Supplemental Oxygen Renders Tumors Vulnerable to Immune Attack

Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Credit: NIAID

Oxygen Renders Tumors Vulnerable to Immune Attack

Supplemental oxygen helps make tumors more vulnerable to the action of anti-tumor immune cells, according to results from a mouse study supported in part by NIAID. The excess oxygen helps thwart a natural process that limits the ability of immune cells to invade and destroy tumors. The findings support testing of supplemental oxygen, in combination with existing cancer treatment strategies, in human clinical trials.