Can diving prevent cancer?

[Cave Diver]

I was had the TV on with the morning news for background noise and they had some fitness guru on talking about various things with diet and exercise. I was only half listening at the time, but he started saying something about breathing techniques and how it can improve overall health.

One statement he made was that cancer has difficulty reproducing in well oxgenated cells.

If this was an accurate statement it immediately made me wonder if people who dive regularly, especially on nitrox and that are exposed to higher partial pressures, may have a lower incident of cancer.

Would this make hypabaric treatmeants, like diabetic patients get for wounds, another viable treatment option?

Has anyone else ever heard of this, or is just more "fitness hype" from someone trying to sell more books?

 

[mikemill]

Most likely scuba causes cancer like all other things that are good and fun.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Mike, given the number of divers that I know that have had cancer... I would think you are correct...

 

[Cave Diver]

Mike, given the number of divers that I know that have had cancer... I would think you are correct...

Care to elaborate a bit on any specifics?

For example, are they vacation divers only or avid, every week divers?

Regularly use air, or nitrox?

Regularly use deco mixes?

I dont *really* expect to find that diving cures/prevents cancer, but thought it might be an interesting discussion. I'm a bit overdue for one of those.

 

[mrfixitchapman]

Okay, I was talking to my oncologist. Really. I had a malignant tumor removed from my left leg below the knee. I signed up and completed the PADI nitrox course. After diving with mixes up to 36% and following the published guidelines I had significant restoration of sensation near the surgical site. It appears to be permanent. Doc made notes about his for discussion with other docs. His term is 'incidental hyperbaric therapy'.
That's what I know.

DC

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

It might be theraputic, but I doubt scuba is cancer-preventive. My wife was diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive breast cancer right after we got back from a 2 week trip to Bonaire last year, diving EAN32 the whole trip 9the Dive Friends free upgrade to nitrox if nitrox certified).

She had the Oncotype testing on her RNA sequence and acording to those test results, she's 3 times more likely to have a recurrance than the general population of women who detect it that early and follow the same course of medical treatment she went through.

Having said that, there probably is some correlation between sun exposure, scuba, and cancer in lower latitudes, but I doubt anyone has done a scientific study on it. Just extrapolating from what I saw with shrimpers and fishing guides growing up.

 

[bleeb]

Okay, I was talking to my oncologist. Really. I had a malignant tumor removed from my left leg below the knee. I signed up and completed the PADI nitrox course. After diving with mixes up to 36% and following the published guidelines I had significant restoration of sensation near the surgical site. It appears to be permanent. Doc made notes about his for discussion with other docs. His term is 'incidental hyperbaric therapy'.

The way you describe events, it sounds to me more like the hyperbaric conditions may have fixed the damage from the surgery or maybe the cancer, and not killed off any remaining bits of the cancer itself. Was the loss of sensation specifically from the surgery, or did it happen before (as the cancer grew), or is it impossible for you to say (maybe wasn't obvious enough)? Also, maybe one of the medical types can comment further, but is hyperbaric oxygen ever used to promote nerve healing?

 

[drbill]

Not sure about cancer but I truly feel that by lowering my blood pressure, diving keeps me less liable for stroke... at least until I see that great white approaching!

 

[mrfixitchapman]

The way you describe events, it sounds to me more like the hyperbaric conditions may have fixed the damage from the surgery or maybe the cancer, and not killed off any remaining bits of the cancer itself. Was the loss of sensation specifically from the surgery, or did it happen before (as the cancer grew), or is it impossible for you to say (maybe wasn't obvious enough)? Also, maybe one of the medical types can comment further, but is hyperbaric oxygen ever used to promote nerve healing?

Tumor was removed in one excision followed by wide excision. Wide excision and tissue removal to reduce 'nested cancer cells'. Sentinel nodes excised as well, pathology reveals no traces of malignant cells within them. The 'incidental hyperbaric' helped reduce the field of anesthesia caused by necessary removal of nerve tissue in wide excision surgery. The fact that the situation improved with enriched air is what is so interesting to the oncologist and me. I have had many dives on normoxic air, nitrox is the variable here.

DC

 

[Puffer Fish]

Care to elaborate a bit on any specifics?

For example, are they vacation divers only or avid, every week divers?

Regularly use air, or nitrox?

Regularly use deco mixes?

I dont *really* expect to find that diving cures/prevents cancer, but thought it might be an interesting discussion. I'm a bit overdue for one of those.

I was thinking of people who would be considered in the profession and were diving every week.

Nitrox is fairly new stuff, so it would mostly be on air. But even on air, one is breathing higher O2 at depth...

Just visited a dear friend that is dieing after having liver cancer.. so is very fresh on my mind. He averaged over 200 dives a year for 25 years.