Innovative Ozone-Based Cancer Treatments

In recent years, a novel approach to cancer treatment using ozone-based compounds as a potential new form of chemotherapy has gained attention in the medical community. Three ley researchers have pioneered work in this field: Professor Yoshiharu Okamoto, DVM, PhD of the Department of Veterinary Neurology and Oncology at Tottori University in Japan, who has explored the use of ozonated water and ozonated glycerin; Dr. James Bridge, DVM, a practicing veterinarian in Central Point, Oregon, who is administering injectable ozonated glycerin in dogs and cats; Dr. Frank Shallenberger, MD, an integrative physician and pioneer in ozone therapy from Carson City, Nevada; and Professor Alberto Izzotti, MD, PhD of the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University of Genoa, Italy, who has investigated oral high-ozonide oil. These diverse methods, each utilizing ozone in different forms and delivery systems, show remarkable promise as potential new tools in the fight against cancer. These innovative approaches exploit the unique properties of ozone to target cancer cells and cancer stem cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissues, potentially offering a more effective and less toxic alternative or complement to traditional cancer treatments.

Professors Jose Baeza-Noci, PhD, and Rosa Pinto-Bonilla, PhD, of the University of Valencia, Spain, have called ozone a ‘potential new chemotherapy’ due to its parallels with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Ozone induces cancer cell death by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, demonstrates selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells at appropriate doses, has synergistic effects with conventional treatments, can overcome chemoresistance, and exhibits potential efficacy across various cancer types, modulating cellular pathways leading to apoptosis (death) of cancer cells. These characteristics, combined with ozone’s ability to improve tumor oxygenation and its relatively low toxicity to normal cells, make it a promising candidate for novel cancer treatment.

Professor Yoshiharu Okamoto’s research at Tottori University in Japan has significantly advanced our understanding of ozonated water’s potential in cancer treatment. His groundbreaking published studies in animal models demonstrated that ozonated water alters the tumor microenvironment to enhance the efficacy of conventional cancer therapies. Professor Okamoto’s experiments showed that intraperitoneal administration of ozonated water increases tumor oxygenation. This effect is crucial, as tumor hypoxia is a significant factor in cancer therapy resistance. Furthermore, his research revealed that when combined with traditional chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin, ozonated water significantly enhanced their tumor-suppressing effects. For instance, combining ozonated water and cisplatin in colon cancer mouse models showed more significant tumor growth suppression than cisplatin alone. Professor Okamoto’s work also highlighted the safety profile of ozonated water, demonstrating no apparent changes in blood gas levels or damage to healthy tissues at therapeutic doses. These findings laid the groundwork for considering ozonated water as a potential adjuvant in cancer therapy, opening new avenues for research in veterinary and human oncology.

In yet-to-be-published research, Professor Okamoto has made significant discoveries regarding ozonated glycerin’s potential in cancer treatment. He found that properly prepared ozonated glycerin has a half-life of 90 days (vs. 40 minutes for ozonated water). This allows for the sustained release of cancer-targeting ozone and oxygen metabolites within the tumor microenvironment. This extended activity period potentially reduces the frequency of required treatments, offering a practical therapeutic advantage over ozonated water. Ozonated glycerin demonstrated selective toxicity towards cancer cells, bacteria, and viruses while sparing healthy cells and tissues. Professor Okamoto observed that glycerin’s water-soluble nature facilitates rapid metabolism by the body, potentially enhancing its safety profile. Furthermore, he noted that cancer cells preferentially uptake glycerin due to their high glucose demands, effectively making ozonated glycerin a targeted delivery system for oxidative therapy. In a series of promising experiments, when Professor Okamoto injected ozonated glycerin around tumors in canine subjects, he frequently observed significant tumor regression, highlighting its potential efficacy in vivo.

Building on Professor Okamoto’s work, Dr. Bridge has further explored the clinical applications of ozonated glycerin in veterinary oncology, highlighting its unique advantages. Dr. Bridge has reported remarkable outcomes using peritumoral injections of ozonated glycerin in various animal cancers. For instance, he treated a 9-year-old Labrador with a massive (39×51 centimeters) splenic sarcoma, achieving a 75% reduction in tumor size after just one injection and complete remission after the second. In feline patients, Dr. Bridge observed the complete disappearance of fibrosarcoma tumors after a single treatment in a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old cat. He also reported significant tumor reduction in cases of canine lymphoma and liver cirrhosis caused by fungal infection. These results demonstrate the versatility and efficacy of ozonated glycerin across different cancer types and even in non-cancer conditions, suggesting its potential as a broad-spectrum therapeutic agent. Dr. Bridge’s successful applications of ozonated glycerin in veterinary oncology provide a promising foundation for potential translation to human cancer therapy.

Dr. Shallenberger has reported promising results using ozonated glycerin in human patients. Following the protocol developed by Dr. Bridge, Dr. Shallenberger has treated several cancer patients. In one instance, a woman with squamous cell cancer of the vagina experienced a significant reduction in tumor size, with the mass shrinking to about one-fifth of its original size after just three treatments. Another patient with breast cancer and a large cancerous lymph node under her arm saw a 30% reduction in the node’s size after two treatments. Dr. Shallenberger has also observed positive outcomes in treating non-cancer conditions, such as an abscessed tooth that resolved completely after a single treatment. While these results are preliminary and based on a small number of cases, they align with the findings from veterinary applications and suggest that ozonated glycerin may have potential as a novel treatment approach in human oncology and other medical conditions.

Recent research has revealed that glycerin itself, not just when combined with ozone, has cancer-fighting properties. Professor Hany Khalil, PhD, from the University of Sadat City in Egypt, has made important discoveries in this area. His research found that glycerin targets and disrupts specific structures in cancer cells called lysosomes. It reduces the production of two essential proteins, LAMP-1 and LAMP-2, crucial for lysosome function. When lysosomes don’t work correctly, it leads to a buildup of waste in the cancer cells, eventually causing them to self-destruct. Professor Khalil also found that glycerin affects how cancer cells produce substances that either promote or reduce inflammation, which affects how the body’s immune system interacts with cancer. These findings may help explain why glycerin itself might be effective against cancer and why ozonated glycerin, used by Professor Okamoto and Dr. Bridge in treating animals with cancer, shows such promise.

Professor Izzotti’s research on oral high-ozonide ozonated oil (HOO) has provided significant insights into its potential as a complementary cancer therapy. Professor Izzotti’s groundbreaking study involving 115 cancer patients represents one of ozone-based cancer therapy’s most substantial clinical investigations. The patients, diagnosed with various types of cancer, including breast, colon, glioblastoma, kidney and bladder, lung, non-Hodgkin’s skin lymphoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer, received HOO as an integrative therapy in addition to their standard chemo/radiotherapy regimens.

The results from Professor Izzotti were remarkable: patients receiving HOO showed significantly improved survival rates and a decreased incidence of relapses compared to those undergoing standard treatment alone. Specifically, 44% of patients fully recovered, 36% experienced downstaging of their cancer, and 10% maintained stable disease. Only 5% of patients showed disease progression, and 5% were deceased, with these cases primarily involving advanced-stage cancers at recruitment. These outcomes were particularly impressive given that many of the cancers involved were typically resistant to conventional therapies. Furthermore, the treatment appeared to be well-tolerated, with no significant side effects reported. These results suggest that HOO could be a valuable addition to standard cancer treatment protocols, potentially enhancing their efficacy while mitigating some of the challenges associated with chemo/radioresistance.

These diverse approaches of ozone-based cancer therapy, each utilizing ozone in different forms and delivery systems, show remarkable promise as potential new tools in the fight against cancer. The innovative approaches developed by Professor Okamoto, Dr. Bridge, and Professor Izzotti exploit the unique properties of ozone to target cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissues, offering hope for more effective and less toxic cancer treatments.

The classification of ozone-based treatments as ‘a potential new chemotherapy’ is supported by several key characteristics that parallel conventional chemotherapeutic agents:

Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production: Like many chemotherapy drugs, ozone induces cancer cell death by increasing ROS and free radicals inside tumor cells.
Selective cytotoxicity: When used at appropriate doses, ozone demonstrates a selective cytotoxic effect on cancer cells while sparing normal cells, mimicking the ideal characteristic of chemotherapy.
Synergistic effects: Ozone shows additive or synergistic effects when combined with conventional chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy, potentially enhancing their efficacy.
Overcoming chemoresistance: In some studies, ozone has been shown to overcome chemoresistance in previously resistant cancer cell lines.
Diverse applications: Ozone therapy shows potential efficacy across various cancer types, similar to broad-spectrum chemotherapy agents.
Modulation of cellular pathways: Ozone triggers signaling pathways and promotes mitochondrial perturbation leading to apoptosis, mechanisms shared by many chemotherapy drugs.

The multifaceted nature of these treatments – from ozonated water and injectable ozonated glycerin to oral high-ozonide ozonated oil – demonstrates the versatility of ozone as a therapeutic agent. Each method has shown distinct advantages: ozonated water’s ability to improve tumor oxygenation and enhance chemotherapy efficacy; ozonated glycerin’s long half-life and targeted delivery to cancer cells; and HOO’s systemic effects and potential to overcome chemo/radioresistance. Furthermore, the potential for combining these therapies, such as using oral high-ozonide oil for systemic effects alongside peritumoral injections of ozonated glycerin for localized treatment, offers exciting possibilities for comprehensive cancer management strategies.

Moreover, the positive results observed across various cancer types in both animal models and human patients suggest a broad applicability for ozone-based therapies. When combined with standard treatments, the apparent synergistic effects and the reported low incidence of side effects position these therapies as promising complementary approaches in oncology. The potential for synergy between different ozone-based treatments and conventional therapies opens new avenues for personalized and multi-modal cancer treatment protocols.

While these initial findings are highly encouraging, it is important to note that further research, including large-scale clinical trials, is needed to fully establish the efficacy, optimal protocols, and long-term outcomes of these treatments. Future studies should also focus on standardizing ozone-based therapies to ensure consistency and reproducibility across different clinical settings and explore the most effective combinations for various cancer types and stages. Nonetheless, the work of these pioneering researchers has opened an exciting new frontier in cancer therapy, one that could potentially transform our approach to treating this challenging disease by offering a new form of ‘chemotherapy’ that may be more targeted, less toxic, and more adaptable than conventional options.

References:

Innovative Ozone-Based Cancer Treatments

Dr. Daniel Thomas, DO, MS