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Cold cap technology offers hair preservation for chemotherapy patients at Carle Health centers
Carle Health infusion centers are offering an FDA-approved scalp cooling therapy aimed at reducing chemotherapy-related hair loss for eligible patients in several Illinois locations. Medical staff say preserving hair can help maintain emotional well-being during cancer treatment.
Megan Wood, a registered nurse at Carle Cancer Institute Urbana, said on Oct. 27 that she recalls how significant hair loss was to one of her early cancer patients. “Because of the obvious change in appearance she knew people would ask why a 50-something woman did not have hair and she wanted to maintain the option of who she did or did not talk to about her cancer diagnosis,” Wood said. “I have cared for the youngest of adults and some of the oldest. Each holds something close during their cancer treatment journey. Sometimes it’s a token. Sometimes it’s a family member or support person. Sometimes it’s even a fuzzy blanket. For some women, it’s their hair.”
Patients undergoing chemotherapy at Carle Health infusion locations in Urbana, Normal, Mattoon and Danville now have access to an FDA-approved por...