Julie Nangia Gives Advice for Patients Expecting Chemotherapy-Induced Hair Loss

Julie Nangia, MD, Baylor College of Medicine shares the advice she gives to patients with cancer who are expected to lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy.

Nangia suggests that patients shave their hair, as the experience of losing it can be traumatizing. She also recommends that patients seek out local services that provide free head-shaving and wig-fittings. Overall, while hair loss is can be a difficult experience, but it is mostly temporary, and the main objective is for patients to be as healthy as possible. Additionally, scalp cooling systems are showing efficacy in hair preservation among patients undergoing chemotherapy. Nangia presented results from an interim analysis of the Orbis Paxman Hair Loss Prevention System at the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which showed that 50% of patients in the scalp cooling group retained their hair.