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Review
. 2020 Sep-Oct;95(5):631-637.
doi: 10.1016/j.abd.2020.03.005. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Scalp cooling to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia

Giselle de Barros Silva  1 , Kathryn Ciccolini  2 , Aline Donati  3 , Corina van den Hurk  4
Affiliations
Review

Scalp cooling to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia

Giselle de Barros Silva et al. An Bras Dermatol. 2020 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia causes an important impact on cancer patients and its risk of persistence is currently a considerable issue in cancer survivors. Of the various interventions proposed for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia, scalp cooling has emerged as an effective and safe strategy. This paper aims to provide an overview on scalp cooling and chemotherapy-induced alopecia prevention.

Keywords: Alopecia; Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocols; Cooling; Drug therapy; Prevention and mitigation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Breast cancer patient at the end of the treatment with four cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (Photo courtesy of Lívia Nicoletti Ariano).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trichoscopy of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Trichoscopic findings in the region of the vertex of the scalp of the patient in fig. 1: multiple black dots, circular hair, and growing hair. Rare terminal hairs, some showing points of constriction (Pohl-Pinkus) in their extension, referring to previous cycles of chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Lívia Nicoletti Ariano).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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