Hair loss is one of the most distressing aspects of cancer treatment, especially for women. Considering this aspect, the Tata Memorial Hospital has bought in two scalp- cooling machines from the UK. These machines help in keeping the scalp calm and cool during chemotherapy session, which otherwise leads to hair loss. Initially, doctors used this machine on four female patients, suffering from breast cancer and then it was used on 30 women.
When the machine is used on a scalp, it helps to reduce the temperature of the scalp and sees to it that fewer chemotherapy drugs reach it. This helps in saving hair cells and hair loss
Dr. Jyoti Bajpai, Oncologist, Tata Memorial Hospital
What is Scalp Cooling machine?
- The machine comes with a cooling cap which patients wear while undergoing chemotherapy
- The temperature of the machine is kept at 4-degree Celsius
- This is kept for 3-4 hours during chemotherapy session
As the rate of the machine is expensive, Tata Memorial Hospital got two machines on a trial basis. We are trying to prevent hair loss by 50%. We have selected 30 female patients who have breast cancer and in coming months, we will try this machine on 54 female patients.
Dr. Jyoti Bajpai, Oncologist, Tata Memorial Hospital
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