Study reports ETG prevents CMF chemotherapy induced hair loss.(electrotrichogenesis)(cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil)(Brief Article)

2002 JUL 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Current Technology Corporation (CRTCF) announced Psycho-Oncology's publication, (2002;11:244-248) of the results of a pilot research study that examined whether ETG (electrotrichogenesis) could prevent or reduce hair loss in women with breast cancer undergoing CMF [cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil] chemotherapy

Twelve of the 13 female patients in this pilot study had good hair retention during chemotherapy and at the end of the study. The results also suggested that ETG treatment had a positive impact on quality of life. There were no reported side effects attributable to ETG. This study shows encouraging results in an area where no other appropriate treatment is currently available.

Hair loss or alopecia is often viewed as the most traumatic side effect of chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients. In fact, some women with breast cancer perceive the loss of their hair as more difficult to cope with than the loss of a breast because it is such as visible loss. The findings of a 1998 breast cancer patient study (Cancer Practice, Vol. 6, No. 1) indicate that over 90% of the women surveyed considered hair loss to be one of the most "troublesome" side effects of cancer treatment. Based on this fear, many medical practitioners believe their female cancer patients may be selecting other, often less effective, treatment options for their disease.

"We ...