New Cancer Treatment Prevents Patients From Losing Their Hair During Chemotherapy

New Cancer Treatment Prevents Patients From Losing Their Hair During Chemotherapy

Scientists have discovered a major breakthrough that prevents patients from losing their hair through chemotherapy.

Hair loss related to chemotherapy is one of the most painful side effects of modern anticancer therapy. While searching for a solution, the researchers discovered a new strategy to protect hair follicles.

The study of Dr. Ralf Paus's laboratory at the Dermatology Research Center described how it is possible to prevent damage to the hair follicle caused by taxanes, which can lead to permanent hair loss.

How scientists plan to prevent hair loss

To do this, scientists have exploited the properties of a new class of drugs, CDK4 / 6 inhibitors, which block cell division and are already approved by physicians as "targeted" cancer treatments.

"Although initially, it seems counterintuitive, we have found that CDK4 / 6 inhibitors can be used temporarily to interrupt cell division without causing additional toxic effects in the hair follicle" said Dr. Talveen. Purba, lead author of the study.

What are taxanes?

According to the study published in the journal "EMBO Molecular Medicine", taxanes are very important anti-cancer drugs commonly used to treat, for example, patients with carcinoma of the breast or lung, and causing particular anxieties among patients. Patients with breast cancer.

"One of the pillars of our study was first to understand how hair follicles responded to taxane-based chemotherapy and we found that the specialized division cells at the base of the hair follicle, which is essential to the hair production from which they come, are the most vulnerable to taxanes.Therefore, we must protect as much as possible these cells

The effects of chemotherapy - but so that cancer does not benefit, "said Dr. Purba.