title: Scalp cooling to prevent alopecia after chemotherapy can be considered safe in patients with breast cancer.
abstract: With modern scalp cooling equipment cytotoxic damage of hair root cells can be prevented in half of the patients with cancer at high risk of alopecia. However, traditionally doubt has existed whether scalp cooling might facilitate hiding and disseminating scalp skin metastases and thus decrease survival. We discuss this risk using frequency data on metastases in breast cancer from observational and autopsy studies and the Munich cancer registry. They showed the incidence of scalp skin metastases to be very low and not differ between scalp-cooled (0.04-1%) and non scalp-cooled (0.03-3%) patients with breast cancer and in need of chemotherapy. We found it rather unlikely that the incidence of scalp skin metastases might increase at all after scalp cooling, whereas a very small proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy are at risk to develop metastases at this site. Scalp cooling can thus safely be offered to patients treated with alopecia-inducing chemotherapy.
authors: Research Department, Eindhoven Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre South, PO Box 231, 5600 Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Electronic address: C.v.d.hurk@ikz.nl.
authors: C J G
authors: CJ
authors: van den Hurk
authors: L V
authors: LV
authors: van de Poll-Franse
authors: W P M
authors: WP
authors: Breed
authors: J W W
authors: JW
authors: Coebergh
authors: J W R
authors: JW
authors: Nortier
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012535:Scalp; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000556:secondary
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Safety; Scalp cooling; Scalp skin metastases