Medical science has made great strides recently in developing successful cancer treatments. But there hasn’t been a lot of progress in dealing with one of the most distressing side effects of cancer therapy – hair loss.
A clinical study is underway on a system that just may help patients keep their hair as they fight for their lives.
As you know, many forms of chemotherapy lead to hair loss. That’s because the drugs are designed to attack fast-growing cells in the body. That includes cancer cells – and hair roots.
For many people, one of the hardest parts of coping with cancer is dealing with hair loss. Good Morning America host Robin Roberts had to dig deep for the strength to shave her hair.
That was one of the things Eileen Bradley desperately wanted to avoid when she was diagnosed with breast and lung cancer in 2004.
“I was petrified and I was so scared and truthfully I thought I was going to die,” said Eileen.
Eileen’s chances were 50-50 and she decided to concentrate on the 50% that meant survival
“I had to get my mind off the negative, I had to do something positive,” she said.
Eileen tried a product that was being used in England. It’s called the Penguin Cold Cap and it uses cold to protect the hair follicles from the chemotherapy.
“I thought for sure I was going to lose my hair if I did nothing I might as well go for it,” she said.
The cold cap was invented by British scientist Frank Fronda. He recently visited Beaumont Hospital where a clinical trial of the device is underway. He explained how the caps work.
“What we do to do that is we apply extreme cold temperature onto the scalp with the idea of putting those bulbs back to sleep, to protect the roots of the follicles,” said Fronda.
When he says extremely cold, he’s not kidding. Beaumont had to buy a special freezer to keep the caps at minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s too cold for some people, but Eileen was able to wear the cap for about a half hour before each chemo session, during it, and for a short time afterward.
It saved her hair and her positive outlook during a very stressful time
“It helped focus me in a new direction that gave me so much hope,” said Eileen.
“I’ve got husbands calling me saying thank you because their wives who have hair down to here are saying I won’t do chemo, I’d rather die than lose my hair,” said Fronda.
Eileen is very excited about the trial, which is one of the steps needed to gain FDA approval. She has a dream for other women
“One day in the US every hospital will be supplied with these caps, so every patient will have the option, just the option to save their hair,” said Eileen.
Patients scheduled for chemotherapy at Beaumont can ask about the trial. For others, the caps are available to rent from the company that makes them. Visit
http://www.msc-worldwide.com/ for more information.
