Reply to the letter to the editor on 'Scalp metastases and scalp cooling for chemotherapy-induced alopecia prevention', by C. Christodoulou, G. Tsakalos, E. Galani & D. V. Skarlos (doi:10.1093/annonc/mdj008). Oncology / ESMO

摘要

The topic of the possibility of protection of tumour cells in scalp skin against chemotherapy is insufficiently studied. With their letter, the authors make an important contribution to facts concerning skin scalp metastases after scalp cooling. They present the results of a substantial number of patients with a rather long-term follow-up; probably a mean observation time of 3-4 years [considerably longer than in the publications of Lemenager (1997) and Ridderheim (2003)]. They are cautious. However, at the end of their letter they wrongly posit that 'the incidence of scalp metastases ... does not seem to influence the clinical outcome', suggesting a generalization and not just their own results. Both Forsberg (2001) and Witman (1981) describe a patient with a haematological malignancy with a negative influence of cooling on the clinical outcome.