Patent ID: 8742073

Claim:
A method of improving and prolonging hypoxic tumor tissue oxygenation comprising providing a pharmaceutical composition, said pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective dosage of highly purified and high-temperature stable non-polymeric tetrameric hemoglobin having a molecular weight of 60-70 kDa, N-acetyl cysteine at a concentration of 0.2-0.4% and high-temperature stable up to a temperature of 80° C., the hemoglobin having at least one cysteine moiety wherein said cysteine moiety includes a thiol-protecting group such that the hemoglobin is incapable of binding endothelium-derived relaxing factor at the cysteine site, wherein the composition is non-pyrogenic, endotoxin-free, oxygen-free, phospholipid-free, low protein impurities, low dimer (non-stabilized hemoglobin), and has a met-hemoglobin level of less than 5%, to hypoxic tumor tissue to create a localized oxygenated environment prior to chemotherapy or radiation treatment to thereby improve chemotherapy or radiation treatment efficacy, wherein the hypoxic tumor tissue is selected from leukemia, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer or esophageal cancer.