Two weeks of hydrogen inhalation can significantly reverse adaptive and innate immune system senescence patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a self-controlled study
Chen JB et al. · Med Gas Res. 2020;10(4):149–154.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Uncontrolled self-comparison study
Cancer research
Inhaled H₂
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer awaiting standard treatment
20 participants
4 hours daily for 2 weeks
Nasal cannula or mask inhalation at 3,000 mL/min for 4 hours daily
Brown’s gas / oxyhydrogen — H₂ and O₂ co-delivered, not H₂ alone.
66.7% H₂ + 33.3% O₂ by volume.
2,001 mL/min H₂, calculated as 3,000 mL/min total mixed-gas flow × 66.7% H₂.
999 mL/min O₂, calculated as 3,000 mL/min × 33.3% O₂.
No concurrent control group; each participant was compared with their own baseline
Outcomes and reported result
Peripheral-blood adaptive and innate lymphocyte subsets
Multiple immune-cell subset measures moved toward the ranges used by the authors after two weeks. No tumor response, progression or survival outcome was tested.
Gas composition, flow, methods, principal results, funding and conflict statement checked in the open-access full text; independent appraisal remains incomplete.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit. Null findings, outcome type, study design and precision all matter.
Cautions and applicability
Uncontrolled 20-person biomarker study with many lymphocyte measures and only two weeks of follow-up. It does not establish cancer treatment benefit. Authors reported no financial support or conflicts.
Adults with advanced NSCLC awaiting standard treatment; not evidence for tumor control or improved survival.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Certainty is assessed by important outcome across a complete eligible evidence set, not by attaching a final grade to one source.
Sources and record status
PMID: 33380580 · DOI: 10.4103/2045-9912.304221
Open-access full text is available through PMC.
Open-access PMC full text and PubMed bibliographic record.
2026-08-10