Whole Brain Radiotherapy With Partial Hair-Sparing Technique: A Feasibility Study

In 2020, a feasibility study involving nine patients with brain metastases from melanoma, breast, and lung cancer was conducted to test the effectiveness of a Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) hair-sparing Whole Brain Radiotherapy (WBRT) protocol. The study found that VMAT hair-sparing WBRT partially spared scalp hair at four weeks post-treatment and did not compromise disease control. However, any hair loss negatively impacted Quality of Life (QoL). The study also involved eight patients with hair worth sparing, but only five were evaluable due to health issues. All five reported needing to use a scarf or wig after radiotherapy, with four reporting moderate hair loss and one reporting mild hair loss. The study concluded that partial hair-sparing with VMAT WBRT is feasible and well-tolerated, and does not compromise oncological outcomes. However, the degree of hair loss was less in those who did not have cytotoxic chemotherapy before or after hair-sparing WBRT within the study period.