Ineffectiveness of scalp hypothermia in the prevention of alopecia in patients treated with doxorubicin and cisplatin combinations.

Eleven patients were studied to determine the effectiveness of scalp hypothermia in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Scalp hypothermia was induced by the Kold Kap. The cytotoxic regimen used consisted of either cisplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide or cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate given at monthly intervals. All 11 patients required a wig by the end of the fifth course of chemotherapy because of severe hair loss. Ten of the 11 patients (91%) had severe hair loss by the end of the second course of chemotherapy. These results suggest that scalp hypothermia as used in this study is ineffective in preventing chemotherapy-induced alopecia in patients treated with cisplatin and doxorubicin drug combinations in doses commonly used for treatment of gynecologic malignancies.