[Prevention of cytostatic-related hair loss by hypothermia of a hairy scalp using a cooling cap].

82 patients treated with adriamycin alone or in combination with other cytostatic agents underwent scalp hypothermia by application of a gel cap. The cap ws applied 10 minutes before the injection of the drugs and maintained until 30 minutes after the administration of the chemotherapy. Prevention of hair loss was achieved in 47 patients (57%). The prophylaxis was successful in 16 out of 21 males (76%) compared with 31 out of 61 female patients (p less than 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between patients receiving higher or lower doses of adriamycin or between patients wtih or without liver dysfunction. The tolerance of the gel cap was excellent; only one patient did not tolerate the cap because of anxiety during application.