Snippet from the article:
Hair loss can be one of chemotherapy’s most despised side effects. Now US researchers are about to put an experimental hair-preserving treatment to a rigorous test. The goal is to see if strapping on a cap so cold it numbs the scalp during chemotherapy works well enough to be used widely in this country, as it is in Europe and Canada.
The first time Miriam Lipton had breast cancer, her thick locks fell out two weeks after starting chemotherapy. But when the disease struck again, she used a cold cap during treatment and kept much of her hair, making her fight for survival seem a bit easier. ‘‘I didn’t necessarily want to walk around the grocery store answering questions about my cancer,’’ recalled Lipton, 45, of San Francisco. ‘‘If you look OK on the outside, it can help you feel, ‘OK, this is manageable, I can get through this.’ ’’
Near-freezing temperatures are supposed to reduce blood flow in the scalp, making it harder for cancer-fighting drugs to reach and harm hair follicles. But while several types of cold caps are sold around the world, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved their use in the United States.
Read the rest — Cold caps tested to prevent hair loss in cancer patients
For years now, we’ve written about cold caps to help retain much of the hair for those undergoing chemotherapy, so I’m glad it is getting more attention. This latest study of early stage breast cancer patients is set to begin this summer.