As it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Paxman is raising awareness of a critical and often overlooked side effect faced by many cancer patients: the risk of developing persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (PCIA) as a result of cancer treatment. Paxman The efficacy of scalp cooling in preventing PCIA has once again come to the forefront through a study, Scalp Cooling in Preventing Persistent Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: A Randomised Controlled Trial , published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by D. Kang et al.
The findings have the potential to reshape our understanding of PCIA and how Scalp Cooling has been proven to have a positive impact in reducing the risk for people navigating a cancer diagnosis. Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is a common side effect experienced by patients undergoing chemotherapy. While typically temporary, some patients do not experience complete hair regrowth even after treatment ends, a condition known as persistent or permanent CIA (PCIA).
In a previous study, up to 42.3% of breast cancer patients had incomplete hair regrowth three years after chemotherapy. Moreover, although hair density often returns to baseline levels within six months post-chemotherapy, hair thickness frequently remains compromised, signalling long-term follicle damage.
Scalp cooling has already been established as a viable method to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. However, evidence supporting its effectiveness in preventing long-term PCIA has been limited. .