Prevention and Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: What Is Available and What Is Coming?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review summarizing clinical options and emerging therapies without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 37185388 · doi:10.3390/curroncol30040275
What was done
This narrative review summarizes current and investigational prevention and treatment options for chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Evaluated interventions include portable and non-portable scalp cooling systems, topical preventive agents, topical and oral minoxidil, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
What was found
The authors report that chemotherapy-induced alopecia occurs in approximately 65% of chemotherapy patients. Scalp cooling is highlighted as the only intervention currently cleared by the US FDA for CIA prevention. No specific quantitative efficacy figures, comparative effect sizes, or statistical outcomes for the discussed treatments are provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a prevalent and distressing adverse effect that can negatively affect treatment compliance and quality of life. This review outlines the clinical landscape and highlights barriers—such as high out-of-pocket costs for scalp cooling—alongside emerging candidate therapies.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review containing no original patient data, pooled quantitative analyses, or formal systematic search and appraisal methods. Specific clinical efficacy metrics, sample sizes, and comparative safety profiles for individual therapies are not reported.
Cited by
- supports Chemotherapy drugs kill rapidly proliferating normal cells in the body, such as hair and skin cells.