: The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) here has commenced the first ever clinical trial in India to address the problem of hair loss in cancer patients during chemotherapy.
Loss of hair adds to the trauma of the disease and many patients, especially women, suffer from lack of self-esteem and confidence due to sudden baldness. At present, four breast cancer patients have been placed on the trial.
A scalp cooling machine attached with two scalp coolers, or specialised inner silicon caps containing coolants, has been imported from the UK free of cost.
The technique is widely used in the U.K.
Since chemotherapy medication is given intravenously and circulated through blood, the scalp gets less blood and thus less medication as well.
Unfortunate side effects
“Since cancer cells are highly dividing, the chemo medicines attack those cells. But at the same time, blood cells, mucosal lining and hair follicles, also get attacked. This is why patients suffer from reduced blood count, mouth ulcers and hair loss during chemotherapy,” explained Dr. Jyoti Bajpai, associate professor at TMH’s Department of Medical Oncology, who is heading the trial.
“But of all the side effects, hair loss has the worst impact on women. The fear of cancer becomes secondary and the fact that they will lose hair during the treatment takes centre stage.”
Doctors define the chemotherapy-induced hair loss in three grades. Grade 0 is for no hair fall, grade 1 is for less than 50 per cent hair loss and grade 2 is more than 50 per cent hair loss.
“Through the trial, we are aiming at 50 to 70 per cent hair preservation. We want to avoid the grade 2 stage,” said Dr Bajpai. The randomised trial that will go on for about a year has two arms — 34 patients in one arm will be put on the scalp coolers while 17 patients will be in the non-cooling arm.
“We are taking non-metastatic patients in which the cancers are not spread out,” said Dr. Bajpai.
Among many patients, Dr Bajpai has recently seen a case of a 35-year-old woman who delayed her cancer treatment as she did not want to suffer from hair loss.
“Women associate their femininity with the hair. It becomes difficult to explain that the hair loss is temporary. Hopefully, such women will benefit if our trial yields good results,” she added.
Initiative hopes to address loss of esteem caused by chemotherapy-induced baldness
