Studies on Penguin Cold Caps

When I was deciding on whether I should use Penguin Cold Caps or not to keep my hair through chemotherapy, I reviewed as much information that I could find.   I needed to understand things clinically and make sure I was making a good choice.  I first started with the Penguin Cold Cap website for studies and general information.  http://www.msc-worldwide.com/scalpmets.html

I also read about the Rapunzel Project which is a great organization that donates freezers to infusion centers so that patients have an easier time using cold caps.  http://rapunzelproject.org/News.aspx

I also read various studies.  Here are some links to the clinical studies I reviewed online regarding use of scalp cooling and cold caps:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21431870

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19241158

http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/3/352.full

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10762750

http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/2/350.1.full

http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-01-26/news/27049661_1_cancer-patients-hair-loss-hair-roots

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/24_MeetingAbstracts/5040


Again there are many misconceptions about scalp cooling and cold caps.  Most physicians are not educated well about them and don't take the time to even explore the technology.  While I realize their main goal is to treat cancer and not hair issues, hair loss is a very real side effect to chemotherapy.  A patients overall well being, emotional attitude and physical well being should all be considered.  I do believe that if you feel better about yourself while you are going through the worst experience of your life it directly effects your attitude and how you feel physically.  I hope as time goes on more medical oncologists will realize this and have more compassion for cancer patients that lose their hair.  Based on how clinicians act now, we have a long road ahead to change the way they think.