title: Preventing chemotherapy-induced alopecia in cancer patients: is scalp cooling worthwhile?
abstract: Alopecia (hair loss) is often singled out as the most distressing side-effect of cancer chemotherapy treatment. This paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of the research literature on scalp cooling, a procedure introduced to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia. In spite of a considerable amount of research (both nursing and medical) over a 15-year period, the evidence on scalp cooling is inconclusive. Although concerned with a specialist issue, this paper may interest the general reader as it illustrates the value of a literature review in raising questions about current practice and in identifying issues for future research.
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017679:Cryotherapy; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D012535:Scalp
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents