Gas Therapies Show Promise as New Cancer Treatments with Fewer Side Effects

Scientists found that special gases like hydrogen and others can fight cancer better than regular medicines because they work in different ways inside your body and cause fewer harmful side effects.

Gas signaling molecules, particularly hydrogen, show promise as anticancer agents that may work through multiple biological mechanisms and potentially cause fewer side effects than conventional cancer drugs.

This review article examines how certain gases—including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide—may help fight cancer. The authors explain how these gases work in the body to signal cells and describe their potential advantages over traditional cancer treatments, which often have serious side effects and don't always prevent cancer from returning.

This is a review article summarizing existing research rather than a new study with experimental results, so it cannot provide direct evidence about hydrogen water's effectiveness. While the review suggests hydrogen gas has theoretical anticancer potential, most evidence discussed appears to be from laboratory and animal studies, not human trials. Anyone considering hydrogen water for cancer should consult their oncologist, as this review does not establish safety or efficacy in people.

Cancer is still one of the major factors threatening public health, with morbidity and mortality rates at the forefront of the world. Clinical drawbacks, such as high toxicity and side effects of drug therapy, and easy recurrence after surgery affect its therapeutic effect. Gas signaling molecules…

Read the full abstract on PubMed