Table 2.
Summary of reported values of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) in human tumours and related normal tissues
| Tumour type | n | Median tumour pO2 | Median % oxygen | n | Median normal tissue pO2 | Median % oxygen | Fold pO2 decreasea | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brain (6) | 104 | 13.0 | 1.7 | 104 | 26.0 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Head and neck cancer (13) | 592 | 10.0 | 1.3 | ND | 5.9 | 4.5 | 5 | |
| 30 | 12.2 | 1.6 | 14 | 40.0 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 14 | |
| 23 | 14.7 | 1.9 | 30 | 43.8 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 15 | |
| 65 | 14.6 | 1.9 | 65 | 51.2 | 6.7 | 3.5 | 16 | |
| Lung cancer | 6 | 14.3 | 1.9 | ND | 5.6 | 3.0 | 17 | |
| 20 | 16.6 | 2.2 | 42.8 | 5.6 | 2.6 | 18 | ||
| Breast cancer (10) | 212 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 212 | 52.0 | 6.8 | 5.2 | 5,19 |
| Cervical cancer (12) | 730 | 9.0 | 1.2 | 5 | ||||
| 48 | 42.0 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 20 | ||||
| Liver | 4 | 6.0 | 0.8 | 4 | 30.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 21,22 |
| Pancreatic cancer | 7 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 7 | 51.6 | 6.8 | 19.1 | 23 |
| 1 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 22.7 | 24 | ||||
| Prostate cancer | 59 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 59 | 30.0 | 3.9 | 12.5b | 25 |
| 55 | 4.5 | 0.6 | ND | 6.7b | 26 | |||
| 10 | 9.4 | 1.2 | 2 | 26.2 | 3.4 | 2.8c | 27 | |
| Vulval cancer | 29 | 11.0 | 1.4 | ND | 28 | |||
| 15 | 13.0 | 1.7 | ND | 29 | ||||
| 19 | 11.0 | 1.4 | ND | 29 | ||||
| 20 | 10.0 | 1.3 | ND | 30 | ||||
| Melanoma | 18 | 11.6 | 1.5 | 20 | 40.5 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 31 |
| Renal cell carcinoma | 3 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 3 | 37.6 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 32 |
| Rectal carcinoma | 14 | 32.0 | 4.2 | 52.0 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 21,22 | |
| 15 | 19.0 | 2.5 | 52.0 | 6.8 | 2.7 | 33 | ||
| Sarcoma (14) | 283 | 14.0 | 1.8 | 283 | 51.0 | 6.7 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Averages or total | 2257 | 10.27 | 1.4 | 685 | 45.8 | 6.0 | 4.6 | |
| Range of medians | 2.0–32.0 | 0.3–4.2 | 26.0–51.6 | 3.4–6.8 |
n, number of patients; ND, not determined.
The data included in the table are primarily a summary from a meta-analysis carried out by Vaupel et al.5 The number of studies included for each tumour type is indicated by the number in the “tumour type” column. Other data are from single studies, as referenced. The final “average” values for tumour and normal tissue oxygenation are indicative only; they are provided to illustrate the disparity between the two values. The range is considerable and reflects the different tissue origin of the tumours; despite this, there is very limited overlap with the normal tissue data. (The averages were calculated adjusting for the number of values in each cohort.)
Fold reduction of tumour vs normal tissue is based on all the data presented in the table (except prostate; see further notes).
Fold reduction calculated on contemporaneous measurements in the psoas muscle.
Data from a pilot study that included values from the “normal” prostate of two bladder cancer patients.