Table 1.
Typical Oxygen Tensions in Tumors and the Respective Healthy Tissues
| Cancer type | Median tumor pO2, mmHg (# of patients) (277) | Median pO2 of tissue of origin, mmHg | Fraction of hypoxic tumors among all tumors of this type (hypoxia threshold) | Clinical outcomes for hypoxic vs. normoxic tumors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head and neck | 10 (n=592) | 40–51 | 70% (median pO2<10 mm) (21) 51% (HP5>25%) (162) |
Decreased 3 year survival rate (28% vs. 38%, 2P=0.006) (201) |
| Lung | 16 (n=26) | 39 | 38% (HP2.5>20%) (108) | Decreased 2-year OS rate (17% vs. 79%, P=0.02) (160) |
| Breast | 10 (n=212) | 65 (279) | 63% (pO2≤2.5 mm Hg) (278) | Not determined |
| Pancreatic | 2 (n=7) | 52 | 100% (HP2.5>20%) (152) | Not determined |
| Cervix | 9 (n=730) | 51 | 48% (median pO2<10 mm) (120) | Decreased 6 year OS rate (29% vs. 87%, P=0.0004) (181) |
| Prostate | 7 (n=190) | 20,31 (198) | 19% (270)
|
Decreased 8 year freedom from biochemical failure (46% vs. 78% P=0.027) (270) |
| Soft tissue sarcoma | 14 (n=283) | — | 45% (HP2.5>20%) (14) | Decreased 18 month DFS rates (35% vs. 70%, P=0.01) (23) |
| Brain tumors | 13 (n=104) | 54 (139) | 64% (HP2.5>20%) (51) 38% (pO2<10 mm) (139) |
Decreased 3 year OS (25% vs. 53%, P=0.13) (157) |
HPx—the percent frequency of pO2 measurements below a given mmHg value, see Figure 3 for further explanation.
DFS, disease-free survival; HIF, hypoxia-inducible factor; OS, overall survival.