Protection Against Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

In the 2006 review, Jie Wang, Ze Lu, and Jessie L.-S. Au discussed the significant impact of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) on patients' quality of life, with 47% considering it the most traumatic side effect and 8% potentially rejecting chemotherapy for fear of hair loss. They reviewed the biology of hair follicles, the characteristics of CIA, and various experimental treatments. The review noted that while some agents like calcitriol and cyclosporine A showed promise in protecting against CIA from multiple chemotherapeutic agents, and AS101 and Minoxidil reduced the severity or duration of CIA, no treatments were able to completely prevent it. The authors concluded that effective prevention of CIA is still an unmet need in cancer care. The document also covered the role of apoptosis in hair follicle cells, the potential protective effects of various agents, and the use of scalp cooling systems, but did not provide specific participant numbers for the studies mentioned.