St. Joseph’s Hospital Uses Technology To Prevent Chemo Hair Loss

TAMPA, FL — The infusion center at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North is using the innovative DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System to help minimize hair loss from chemotherapy.

Positive results from a FDA trial published by The Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that seven out of 10 patients using the DigniCap system kept at least 50 percent of their hair.

DigniCap received FDA clearance in 2015 and DigniCap may minimize hair loss from certain chemotherapy treatments for women and men with tumors associated with breast, ovarian, uterine, prostate and other tissues. DigniCap is also said to help with earlier hair regrowth following chemotherapy.

“Minimizing excessive hair loss helps with a patient’s self-esteem and boosts the positive effects of what cancer treatments can do,” said Rubi Ison, lead oncology nurse at the infusion center.

The DigniCap Scalp Cooling System consists of a computerized cooling unit managed through a touch screen display and an attached cooling cap. The cap is fitted to the head and temperature regulated coolant continuously circulates through specially designed channels in the cooling cap. Scalp cooling limits the amount of chemotherapy agent delivered to the hair follicles. This causes cellular activity in the localized scalp area to slow dramatically. With these two reactions, the follicles absorb fewer chemotherapy agents and hair loss is significantly reduced.

Please note that scalp cooling is effective with many chemotherapy drugs, but not all. Your doctor can tell you if scalp cooling is compatible with your treatment.

Learn more about St. Joseph’s Hospital-North’s infusion center: https://baycare.org/hospitals/st-josephs-hospital-north/services/cancer