Efficacy of Interventions for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Hyoseung Shin and colleagues assessed the efficacy of various interventions in preventing chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). The study included 1,098 participants from eight randomized controlled trials and nine controlled clinical trials. The interventions examined were scalp cooling, scalp compression, a combination of cooling and compression, topical minoxidil, and Panicum miliaceum. The results indicated that scalp cooling significantly reduced the risk of CIA (RR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.32–0.45), while other methods did not show significant efficacy. No serious adverse effects were associated with scalp cooling. The authors concluded that scalp cooling is an effective preventive measure for CIA, but they recommended further studies to confirm its long-term safety.