DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System available for chemotherapy patients at LCRP’s Savannah location
Specialized service helps reduce the likelihood of hair loss during chemotherapy treatment
Hair loss is a common side effect of many chemotherapy drugs. But now with the DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System, it is no longer inevitable.
The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion offers this specialized service for chemotherapy patients receiving treatment at the Savannah locations and will soon be available in Bluffton with a goal to offer it at all infusion centers. DigniCap offers patients the possibility of minimizing hair loss from certain chemotherapy drugs.
It can be used by patients receiving chemotherapy to treat solid tumors for breast cancer, as well as prostate, ovarian, uterine and lung cancers. Please note that scalp cooling is effective in many chemotherapy drugs, but not all, and you must be diagnosed with a solid tumor. Your doctor can tell you if scalp cooling is compatible with your treatment.
DigniCap has been FDA-cleared since December 2015. It was initially studied in women with breast cancer at hospitals across the country, and results showed that 66 percent of patients kept at lest 50 percent of their hair compared to a control group where all patients experienced significant hair loss.
How it works
Cooling of the scalp has been proven to reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss. During scalp cooling, two reactions occur:
- Reduced blood flow in the scalp area limits the amount of chemotherapy agents delivered to the hair follicles.
- Reduced metabolism and scalp temperature decrease the reaction rate causing normal cellular activity in the scalp to slow dramatically.
Because of these reactions, the hair follicles absorb less chemotherapy agents and hair loss is significantly reduced.
The DigniCap Scalp Cooling System consists of a computerized cooling unit managed through a touch screen display and an attached cooling cap. Temperature regulated coolant continuously circulates through specially designed channels in the cooling cap.
You will wear the cap and receive the cooling treatment during your chemotherapy appointment.
If you are interested in DigniCap, talk to your provider for more information.
