Hydrogen Gas Inhalation May Ease Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
- Authors
- Imjai Chitapanarux, Narongchai Autsavapromporn, Wimrak Onchan, Somvilai Chakrabandhu, Pooriwat Muangwong, Apidet Duangya, Tanin Lertsiriladakul, Atikorn Panya, Atchara Paemanee
- Journal
- Cancers
- Year
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.3390/cancers18142191
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Thailand
- Health Condition
- Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
- Body System
- Oncological
TL;DR
Hydrogen inhalation during chemoradiotherapy showed possible reductions in toxicity and metabolic disruption, but the study was too small for firm conclusions.
Key Finding
Patients receiving adjunctive hydrogen gas inhalation during chemotherapy and radiation showed numerically lower rates of moderate treatment-related toxicities and fewer chemotherapy delays compared to standard treatment alone, though this was a very small pilot study.
Summary
This small pilot study looked at whether inhaling hydrogen gas during cancer treatment could reduce side effects in 19 patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Patients receiving hydrogen gas along with standard chemotherapy and radiation showed fewer moderate side effects, fewer treatment delays, and completed treatment faster than those receiving standard treatment alone. Blood tests revealed different patterns of chemical changes in the hydrogen gas group, suggesting the gas may affect how the body responds to treatment stress.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage human study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may help reduce some side effects during cancer treatment, but the findings are preliminary with only 19 patients and no statistically significant differences in key measurements. Much larger and more rigorous studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about hydrogen gas as a supportive therapy during cancer treatment.
Abstract
Background: H2 gas inhalation has been proposed as a selective modulator of reactive oxygen species (ROS), potentially mitigating treatment-related oxidative damage. This study investigated the effects of adjunctive H2 gas inhalation on serum metabolomic profiles and clinical toxicities in patients with LAHNC undergoing CCRT. Methods: Twenty patients were prospectively randomized to receive either standard CCRT alone (Group A) or CCRT combined with adjunctive H2 gas inhalation (Group B). Serum samples collected before and after treatment were analyzed using untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-IM-QTOF-HRMS)-based metabolomics. Results: One patient in Group B discontinued participation, leaving 19 patients for the final analysis. Patients receiving adjunctive H2 gas inhalation tended to exhibit numerically lower frequencies of moderate treatment-related toxicities, fewer chemotherapy delays, and a shorter overall treatment duration than those receiving CCRT alone. Metabolomic profiling in the CCRT-alone group revealed exploratory alterations in metabolites associated with arginine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and purine metabolism following treatment. Ornithine, uric acid, and tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone were among the candidate discriminative metabolites with exploratory discriminatory performance after CCRT. In contrast, patients receiving adjunctive H2 gas inhalation showed a more limited pattern of pathway mapping, with exploratory evidence from an illustrative single-hit pathway assignment suggesting possible involvement of purine metabolism. Altered uric acid levels together with changes in several lipid-related metabolites may collectively reflect metabolic responses associated with treatment-related oxidative stress during CCRT. Consistent with these findings, direct between-group comparison of within-subject changes (Δ = post - pre) indicated a numerically smaller reduction in serum uric acid levels in the adjunctive H2 gas inhalation group; however, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Adjunctive H2 gas inhalation during CCRT may be associated with reduced moderate treatment-related toxicities and exploratory changes in systemic metabolic profiles in patients with LAHNC. However, the study was not designed to evaluate oncological outcomes, and the metabolomic findings, particularly the pathway-level interpretations, should be considered exploratory because several pathway assignments were based on only one or a few mapped metabolites, together with the limited sample size, patient heterogeneity, and lack of independent external validation. Further validation in larger, independent cohorts using comprehensive between-group metabolomic analyses is warranted.