Great to hear!
bleomycin and diving?
- Thread starter adamd
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 472
"Aviat Space Environ Med. 2011 Aug;82(8):814-8.
To dive or not to dive with bleomycin: a practical algorithm.
van Hulst RA, Rietbroek RC, Gaastra MT, Schlösser NJ.
Source
Maritime Medical Expertise Center, Royal Netherlands Navy, Den Helder, The Netherlands. ravhulst@planet.nl
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Bleomycin is used in the treatment of different cancers, but possible side effects of interstitial pneumonitis and fibrosis are associated with increased concentrations of oxygen. Therefore, clinicians are reluctant to declare young people fit for scuba diving after bleomycin treatment, because scuba divers might be exposed to high partial pressures of oxygen.
METHODS:
Based on a survey, 16 patients treated with bleomycin for either testicular/germ cell cancer or Hodgkin's disease were evaluated according to an algorithm to assess their fitness to dive. The algorithm is based on a review of the literature related to oncology, anesthesiology, and diving medicine.
RESULTS:
According to our protocol, 12 of the 16 patients were fit for scuba diving. However, the two groups of cancer patients showed considerable difference with regard to fitness for diving, i.e., 10 of 11 patients with testicular/germ cell cancer compared with 2 of 5 patients with Hodgkin's disease.
CONCLUSIONS:
The algorithm can be used by physicians and diving organizations to assess fitness for scuba diving after bleomycin treatment. However, patients with Hodgkin's disease treated with a combination of bleomycin and radiation may be at higher risk of radiation-induced pulmonary problems and are therefore more likely to be unfit for scuba diving."
Regards,
DocVikingo
To dive or not to dive with bleomycin: a practical algorithm.
van Hulst RA, Rietbroek RC, Gaastra MT, Schlösser NJ.
Source
Maritime Medical Expertise Center, Royal Netherlands Navy, Den Helder, The Netherlands. ravhulst@planet.nl
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Bleomycin is used in the treatment of different cancers, but possible side effects of interstitial pneumonitis and fibrosis are associated with increased concentrations of oxygen. Therefore, clinicians are reluctant to declare young people fit for scuba diving after bleomycin treatment, because scuba divers might be exposed to high partial pressures of oxygen.
METHODS:
Based on a survey, 16 patients treated with bleomycin for either testicular/germ cell cancer or Hodgkin's disease were evaluated according to an algorithm to assess their fitness to dive. The algorithm is based on a review of the literature related to oncology, anesthesiology, and diving medicine.
RESULTS:
According to our protocol, 12 of the 16 patients were fit for scuba diving. However, the two groups of cancer patients showed considerable difference with regard to fitness for diving, i.e., 10 of 11 patients with testicular/germ cell cancer compared with 2 of 5 patients with Hodgkin's disease.
CONCLUSIONS:
The algorithm can be used by physicians and diving organizations to assess fitness for scuba diving after bleomycin treatment. However, patients with Hodgkin's disease treated with a combination of bleomycin and radiation may be at higher risk of radiation-induced pulmonary problems and are therefore more likely to be unfit for scuba diving."
Regards,
DocVikingo
Big Dutch
New
While this is a somewhat older thread, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the information in this thread. I went through chemo (BEP) treatment for TC four years ago and my wife and I are looking at the possibility to get back in to SCUBA diving. My Oncologist has told me I'm OK at this point but somehow I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about it yet. I guess the cancer and mixed advice found in various places has messed with my head sufficiently that I don't want to take his advice and plunge with it. I'm trying to find a knowledgeable physician to look at my records and perform any exams he/she deems necessary for confirmation. I was looking at the algorithm mentioned above but I'm not quite sure what is meant by it. Could anyone explain this in a bit more detail?
Thanks for any info you can provide,
Edwin van Doorn
Thanks for any info you can provide,
Edwin van Doorn
For educational purposes, above is a copy of the algorithm from the original paper that DocVikingo cited. It's designed to ensure that there is no pulmonary damage and involves some pretty extensive testing.
Best regards,
DDM
Big Dutch
New
Thank you DDM for your quick reply. After I posted my question yesterday, I found out that Scripps Institute for Oceanography here in San Diego has a Diving Medicine Clinic so I'll contact them to schedule a physical. Having this algorithm may help me ask the right questions.
Best Regards,
Edwin van Doorn
Best Regards,
Edwin van Doorn
Edwin,
Are you talking about Scripps Clinic or Scripps Institute? They're two different institutions. UCSD has a hyperbaric chamber that is staffed by trained diving physicians; it's where I'd go first if I was in San Diego. Here's their website: UCSD Hyperbaric Medicine and Treatment Center
Good luck!
Best regards,
DDM
Are you talking about Scripps Clinic or Scripps Institute? They're two different institutions. UCSD has a hyperbaric chamber that is staffed by trained diving physicians; it's where I'd go first if I was in San Diego. Here's their website: UCSD Hyperbaric Medicine and Treatment Center
Good luck!
Best regards,
DDM
Big Dutch
New
I'm talking about Scripps Institute (SIO Dive Site). I appears they are the only gig in town when it comes to medical testing for SCUBA divers. My Oncologist is with Scripps Clinic so I'm very familiar with them.
Thanks for your support,
Edwin
Thanks for your support,
Edwin
Hi Edwin,
To the best of my knowledge, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography does not do any medical testing for divers (SIO folks who may read this, please correct me if I'm wrong). It is part of UCSD, and the page you linked lists the UCSD hyperbaric center as the local contact for diving medicine inquiries. There are quite a few places with the name "Scripps" in them in San Diego as Ms. Scripps donated enormous amounts of money to a variety of causes, and not all of them are related.
Best regards,
DDM
To the best of my knowledge, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography does not do any medical testing for divers (SIO folks who may read this, please correct me if I'm wrong). It is part of UCSD, and the page you linked lists the UCSD hyperbaric center as the local contact for diving medicine inquiries. There are quite a few places with the name "Scripps" in them in San Diego as Ms. Scripps donated enormous amounts of money to a variety of causes, and not all of them are related.
Best regards,
DDM
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 472
While I am not in the medical field, I am currently a Hodgkins Stage IV survivor AND diver. My treatment was 6 cycles of ABVD in 2010. My post PFT and CT tests were good and told the doctor I am going diving. Been on 4 Aggressor trips, doing all the dives WITH Nitrox 32% to 34%. Deepest to date is 115ft. BTW, during treatment I formed blood clots in the lungs.
My advice to those who have received bleomycin is to do the obvious checks but go diving and have fun! I even talked to DAN and they stated after 6 months (assuming all else ok) one should be good (including a chamber ride if needed).
To those in the medical field, thank you. But update your websites that state no diving, period; and please stop scaring folks from diving. There have been no recorded diving incidents from bleomycin and diving.
My advice to those who have received bleomycin is to do the obvious checks but go diving and have fun! I even talked to DAN and they stated after 6 months (assuming all else ok) one should be good (including a chamber ride if needed).
To those in the medical field, thank you. But update your websites that state no diving, period; and please stop scaring folks from diving. There have been no recorded diving incidents from bleomycin and diving.
Similar threads
