Ahmedzai, S.H., Laude, E., Robertson, A., Troy, G., & Vora, V. (2004). A double blind, randomized, controlled phase II trial of heliox28 gas mixture in lung cancer patients with dyspnoea on exertion. British Journal of Cancer, 90(2), 366–371.

The study is a double-blind, randomized, controlled phase ll trial of heliox 28 gas mixture in patients with lung cancer with dyspnea on exertion.

The study compared the effects of heliox 28 (72% helium and 28% oxygen) to oxygen-enriched air (72% nitrogen and 28% oxygen) or medical air (78.9% nitrogen and 21.1% oxygen) on dyspnea and exercise capacity in patients with lung cancer.

The study reported on a sample of 12 patients with lung cancer; patients had to be able to do a six-minute walk prior to screening evaluation and at defined time points throughout the study.

The study was a double-blind, randomized, controlled phase ll trial.

Patients’ symptoms were evaluated with a VAS and modified Borg scale (0–10). Pulse oximetry (SaO₂) monitoring was done continuously before, after, and then for five minutes after patients breathed the gas mixture.

Dyspnea assessments and VAS scores indicated a significant decrease in breathlessness following heliox 28 compared to medical air. No significant difference was found between heliox and oxygen-enriched air. Borg assessments showed no significant differences across treatments. Patients receiving heliox 28 walked farther than patients receiving oxygen-enriched air or medical air (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found in oxygen saturation percentage measured before the walk. Oxygen saturation was significantly higher during the walk and at rest after breathing heliox 28 than with the other two gas mixtures (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was found between oxygen-enriched air and medical air. No adverse events were reported.

The study had a small sample size of 12.

A promising beneficial role may exist for heliox therapy to improve exercise tolerance in dyspneic patients with cancer.