Prevention of alopecia in medical and interventional chemotherapy patients

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is one of the most distressing side effects of cancer treatment. Although there have been a number of investigated strategies to reduce this, there is no standard of care for treatment.

This review aims to summarize the relevant evidence for the treatments available for chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

A literature search using PubMed and the MEDLINE subengine was completed. The terms "chemotherapy," "alopecia," "quality of life," and "strategies" were used, and articles from the last 10 years were considered. The pediatric population was not investigated.

Physical therapies for alopecia prevention have shown some promise but range from insufficient to detrimental depending on the type of cancer. Cold caps may be more effective than tourniquets and may be associated with fewer metastatic events. Pharmacologic therapies, both immunomodulators and growth factors, have stood the test of several trials to date. In particular, cyclosporine has been shown either to prevent alopecia or promote hair growth during a chemotherapy regimen.

Although the evidence is not yet overwhelming, it is becoming clear that a combination of mechanical and chemical interventions may help compensate for the downfalls of either therapy alone.