Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine
Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine
Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine
Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine
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Scalp cooling may help breast cancer patients keep some of their hair following chemotherapy, according to two new studies.
Cooling caps—already widely used across Europe — may offer the solution to hair loss, long considered an inevitable side effect of chemotherapy.
The two studies, published Tuesday in JAMA, found that patients who used a cooling cap loss less than 50 percent of their hair.
“These findings appear to represent a major step forward in improving the quality of life of individuals with cancer,” Dr. Dawn L. Hershman, of the Columbia University School of Medicine, wrote in an op-ed that accompanied the study’s publication. However, her piece cautioned that more studies need to be conducted.
DigniCap, one of the two cooling caps, reported 67 out of 106 women lost less than half their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy. There were 16 women who didn’t use the cap who lost all of their hair. The women all had either stage I or II breast cancer.
The second study, the Paxman cooling system, also reported that half of the 95 participants lost less than half their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy. The 47 women who didn’t use the cooling system lost all their hair. Both studies were funded by the respective caps’ manufacturers.
Patients wear a tight cap, which is connected to a machine that pumps liquid coolant, before, during and after each chemotherapy session. Researchers aren’t positive how the caps might stop hair loss but suggest that since cold reduces blood flow to the area, less of the toxins from chemo can reach the hair cells.
Neither study reported serious side effects apart from a few patients who experienced headaches, and some who said it was too cold.
Unfortunately the cooling caps aren’t widely available yet, and they don’t come cheap. Only 50 medical centers across 17 states offer the treatment, which costs between $1,500 and $3,000 and is not covered by insurance. One nonprofit, HairTo Stay, offers subsidies to patients who can’t afford it. So far, only DigniCap has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration — Paxman is still pending clearance.
New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering announced on Monday that they now offer DigniCap to breast cancer patients.
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