The Oncology Unit of the Hospital Particular do Algarve - Gambelas offers its patients Scalp Cooling (scalp cryotherapy), an innovative technique for the prevention of hair loss during chemotherapy treatments. This refrigeration system, pioneer in the southern region of the country and used internationally, allows an important reduction in the risk of alopecia (hair loss) induced by chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer are the most common and with more studies that corroborate the complementarity with this technique. However, patients undergoing treatment for pathology of the ovary, bladder, among others, this technique also applies with benefit. We highlight and confirm the success in minimising alopecia, an inevitable adverse effect in the treatment of breast cancer, with a profound psychological impact on women.
To date, 126 cryotherapy treatments have been carried out and this week, the patient's preoperative chemotherapy treatment was successfully completed, to which we managed to preserve all of her hair using this complementary technique.
It is so satisfying to be able to offer a holistic and humanised approach to our cancer patients.
28th March 2021
28, March 2021
