10. Scalp cooling for chemotherapy-related hair loss
Scalp cooling reduces the temperature of the scalp a few degrees before, during and after chemotherapy. The hair loss prevention system uses cooling fluid to keep the helmet and scalp cold, causing cutaneous vascular constriction while also resulting in reduced biochemical activity. The system also has the potential to reduce cellular uptake of chemotherapy agents and decrease the chances of hair follicles experiencing damage from chemotherapy.During the clinical trial, 50.5% of patients were able to preserve their hair using the scalp cooling system.
The system was FDA-approved in May 2017 and is starting to become available in hospitals nationwide.
“This is innovative and transformational,” Dr. Alberto Montero, a member of the Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute, said at this year’s Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit.
The system does not increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy, according to Montero, but instead constricts the scalp to prevent hair loss.
S Srikrishna says
Very promising disruptions in Healthcare. Will be interested as an incubator to closely track the development of ideas of healthcare startups.