Cooling Caps to Restore Hair in Cancer Patients
By Mayuri, Gaea News NetworkTuesday, December 28, 2010
NEW YORK (GaeaTimes.com) — A new kind of skull caps is claimed to prevent cancer patients from losing their hair during chemotherapy.
The devices are skullcaps, chilled to 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5.6 degrees Celsius), a temperature frigid enough to slow blood flow and keep chemo drugs from getting into hair follicles.
The idea that cooling the head would prevent hair loss has been batted around in scientific circles for decades. A few such devices have been tested over the years and none has completely stopped hair loss or was successful in all people.
The prospect of hair loss, explained study leader Hope Rugo, a University of California San Francisco oncologist, is distressing to patients and sometimes dictates their course of treatment.
This cap, if it is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, might open up better treatment options for many patients.
