Exploring the grey area of oxidative therapy for cancer
Hydrogen peroxide therapy is a cancer treatment used in alternative medicine. Hydrogen peroxide (H202) is an oxidizing liquid, meaning it produces oxygen. The theory is that hydrogen peroxide can introduce oxygen into cancer cells and kill them. Thyroxine Amino Acid Derivative
There is very little scientific evidence in support of using hydrogen peroxide therapy to treat cancer, and in some cases, its use has even been fatal. Most evidence in support of hydrogen peroxide therapy comes from small, inconsistent studies. Never ingest hydrogen peroxide, as doing so can result in internal burns.
This article explains how hydrogen peroxide therapy is proposed to work. It covers the history behind hydrogen peroxide therapy, along with the risks involved with trying to use it as a medical treatment.
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound produced by every cell in the body. Upon contact with catalase, an enzyme from the liver, hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen and water.
Hydrogen peroxide therapy is based on the fact that cancer cells thrive in low-oxygen (hypoxic) tissues. It’s also thought that oxygen molecules from broken-down hydrogen peroxide can kill cancer cells, since too much oxygen is toxic to these cells.
Hydrogen peroxide therapy is not approved by the FDA to treat cancer. This means that it is illegal (and unsafe) for alternative medicine practitioners to offer it as a cancer treatment.
Alternative medicine practitioners deliver hydrogen peroxide therapy directly into the bloodstream via an IV. The liquid solution typically contains saline (salt water), and less than 2% hydrogen peroxide. For cancer, the therapy is used by itself, or in addition to radiation therapy.
You may also see hydrogen peroxide therapy referred to as:
Hydrogen peroxide was first discovered in 1818. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that it was used to treat scarlet fever, bacterial infections, and tonsillitis. Following the First World War, it was also used to treat influenza and pneumonia.
In the 1960s, doctors conducted more studies on the effects of the chemical and found that it could be used to help promote oxidation. That’s when oxidative therapy, a group of therapies that stimulate the immune system by using oxygen, ozone gas, or hydrogen peroxide, was pioneered. Oxidative therapy was used to help treat cancer, skin diseases, and polio.
In 1993, the American Cancer Society stated that "there is little or no evidence that [hyperoxygenation therapies] are effective for the treatment of any serious diseases, and each has demonstrated potential for harm." As of 2024, there is very little evidence that hydrogen peroxide therapy can slow the progression of cancer in humans.
In 2021, a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggested that a drug called Avasopasem manganese may enhance the cancer-killing effects of radiotherapy while protecting normal cells. Avasopasem manganese works by generating hydrogen peroxide and oxygen in the body.
The study was performed in mice with lung and pancreatic cancer. When combined with radiotherapy, the drug effectively destroyed the mice's tumors while also preventing radiation-induced tissue damage in the oral cavity, known as oral mucositis.
In 2023, the FDA began its review of Avasopasem manganese as a potential therapy for oral mucositis. Later that year, the FDA declared that there was not enough evidence of Avasopasem's safety or effectiveness for reducing oral mucositis in people with head and neck cancer.
Another study from 2021 involved a breast tumor sitting close to the skin's surface. A hydrogen peroxide-soaked gauze was applied to the tumor during radiotherapy. Three months post-treatment, the breast tumor appeared to be in complete remission. Researchers theorized that hydrogen peroxide increased the tumor's sensitivity to radiation.
Phase I of a small clinical trial published in 2020 also showed promising results. For this study, 12 people with breast tumors were given injections of a hydrogen peroxide gel solution directly into the tumors. When paired with radiotherapy, the treatment appeared to reduce most breast tumors, although researchers noted that further investigation is needed.
The few studies done in humans are small, and the mode of administering hydrogen peroxide is varied. Although the use of hydrogen peroxide in cancer treatment is of increasing interest in the medical community, more research with consistent results is needed before any conclusions can be made.
Hydrogen peroxide detoxes can be found online and at alternative medicine clinics, but they are neither FDA-approved nor guaranteed to be safe or effective. There is no evidence to support the use of hydrogen peroxide as a detox, and doing so can be dangerous.
Hydrogen peroxide by itself is not illegal. The liquid has been used in medicine for over 100 years, particularly in surgery, where it is used to wash out wounds before they are closed.
There are strict regulations that limit the concentration of hydrogen peroxide that can be used for medicinal and industrial purposes. Furthermore, the use of IV and oral hydrogen peroxide has not be clinically tested nor approved by the FDA.
Since it is not approved to treat cancer or other medical conditions, it is illegal for health providers to promote hydrogen peroxide therapy as a treatment for cancer or other diseases.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts its own studies on medical products to convey the best and most accurate information to the public. This means that a product can be legal to buy, own, sell, or use and still not be approved by the FDA. In the case that a product is legal but not FDA-approved, it is used off-label. It can mean that the product is not designed to treat a certain condition, is not approved for the dosage or administration route, or is not approved for a certain age group.
Hydrogen peroxide should only be used as a household cleaner or disinfectant. Store-bought hydrogen peroxide should never be applied to the skin or ingested in any way.
Swallowing even a small amount of hydrogen peroxide can result in:
Swallowing larger or more highly concentrated amounts can result in severe internal burns. Also, a 2017 study found that people who had ingested hydrogen peroxide in high doses over the course of a 10-year period experienced adverse health effects, such as stroke, disability, and death.
IV hydrogen peroxide therapy has not been approved by the FDA, and its use in alternative medicine has proven fatal.
One such case occurred in 2023, after a person received an infusion of hydrogen peroxide with saline at a so-called "natural medicine clinic." After the infusion, the person began to vomit, lost consciousness, went into cardiac arrest, then passed away. The cause of death was heart failure due to the toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide administered by IV.
This case, like many others, is an important reminder that just because a treatment is offered at a natural or alternative health clinic, does not mean that it is safe.
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing liquid that creates oxygen in the body. Some people believe it can help treat or cure cancer because high levels of oxygen may be toxic to cancer cells and can kill them. However, hydrogen peroxide is not FDA-approved for treating cancer. Also, there have been several reports of people who have died from ingesting hydrogen peroxide or receiving hydrogen peroxide therapy intravenously. Because hydrogen peroxide therapy is not FDA-approved to treat cancer, it is illegal for alternative medicine practitioners to promote it for this purpose.
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By Angelica Bottaro Bottaro has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism. She is based in Canada.
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