Scalp-cooling device during chemotherapy reduces hair loss
Use of a scalp-cooling device during chemotherapy reduced the incidence of severe hair loss by 50% in patients with breast cancer on chemotherapy, according to a randomized study.
Half of the patients who used the electronic scalp cap had moderate or no hair loss, whereas all patients assigned to control therapy had severe or total hair loss. A subgroup analysis showed that patients treated with taxane-based chemotherapy, known to cause less severe hair loss, benefited the most from the cooling device. Nonetheless, a fifth of patients treated with more toxic anthracycline-based chemotherapy also had minor or no hair loss.
“Scalp-cooling devices are highly effective for preventing hair loss in women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer,” said Julie Nangia of Baylor Medical Center in Houston. “The manufacture of the device used in this trial is seeking FDA clearance to market it in the United States. Further studies are needed to explore this technology in patients with other types of tumors.”
