New breakthrough in preventing chemotherapy-induced hair loss
New research has revealed a promising and novel method to aid the scalp cooling process in the prevention of hair loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, offering hope to hundreds of thousands of people around the world affected by the distressing side effect of treatment every year.
Researchers in the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, at Sheffield Hallam University, in partnership with Paxman, have discovered that combining scalp cooling treatment with antioxidants can significantly reduce or even prevent the damage to hair follicles caused by chemotherapy drugs.
This breakthrough has the potential to enhance and standardise scalp cooling efficacy levels, potentially transforming it into a more consistent and universally reliable method.
The research was the culmination of years of work, in partnership with the Paxman Scalp Cooling Research Centre formerly associated with the University of Huddersfield.
Led by Dr. Nik Georgopoulos, the study uses human keratinocytes and hair follicle cultures to test the effects of cooling and antioxidants on chemotherapy-treated cells.
Dr Nik Georgopoulos, Associate Professor in Cell Biology and Transforming Lives Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Our findings suggest that the combination of cooling and antioxidants could be a game-changer in preventing chemotherapy-induced hair loss and could make a real difference to the lives of cancer patients worldwide.
“It highlights the potential for a more effective and accessible solution to a common and highly distressing side effect of cancer treatment.
“By improving the quality of life for these patients, this method represents a significant advancement in supportive cancer care.”
Approximately 65 per cent of people undergoing chemotherapy experience hair loss. It is one of the most feared side effects of chemotherapy, with 47 per cent of female cancer patients considering it the most traumatic aspect of their treatment.
This innovative approach could enhance the effectiveness of existing scalp cooling treatments, offering a new hope for cancer patients who experience distressing hair loss during chemotherapy.
The research was funded and carried out in partnership with Paxman Scalp Cooling, and further supported by regional West Yorkshire research grants .
Paxman has been pioneering scalp cooling technology to help prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia for over 25 years.
The Paxman and Sheffield Hallam University, Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre partnership was recently recognised at the Medilink North of England Healthcare Business Awards, winning the Partnership with Academia Award.
Through nearly 15 years of research, Dr Georgopoulos’ team has shown that by reducing the temperature of the scalp before, during, and after chemotherapy treatment, scalp cooling triggers multiple beneficial biological effects that help protect hair follicles from the toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs.
Cooling causes blood vessel narrowing to preserve heat, which reduces blood flow to as little as 20 per cent, meaning less chemotherapy drug reaches the hair follicles. Cooling also directly prevents the entry of chemotherapy drugs into cells.
In addition, scalp cooling causes hair cells to become dormant and stop dividing so that the chemotherapy treatment, which targets rapidly dividing cells, will bypass them.
To add to this knowledge, this new publication proves that cooling reduces cellular metabolism and toxic ROS production.
Thus, optimal scalp cooling can protect from hair loss because of its ability to trigger all these protective mechanisms at the same time.
Rich Paxman OBE, CEO, Paxman Scalp Cooling commented: “Our vision has always been to make our chemotherapy side effect management technology available to everyone, continually improving efficacy in the process.
“Our partnership with Sheffield Hallam University has been central to achieving this vision.
“We are incredibly grateful for the team’s dedication and insight, and we are already working together on the next steps to translate this work into real-world solutions.”
