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Experimental Ointment Protects Hair From Chemotherapy 04/03/2000, SAN FRANCISCO (Associated Press) -- Hair loss from chemotherapy, a distressing side effect of cancer treatment, could be a thing of the past if a gel under development shows promise in adults. The clear ointment has been tested only on lab rats, but developers said its effects are dramatic. “We noticed a marked protection of the hair,” said Stephen T. Davis. “It was just stunning.” Davis, a scientist at Glaxo Wellcome, said the company hopes to test the ointment on people, though he could not predict when that will happen. Cancer cells grow faster than normal tissue. Chemotherapy works by killing cells that are rapidly dividing. An unintended side effect is damage to the hair follicles, which also divide more quickly than other parts of the body. The Glaxo drug works by temporarily stopping the follicles from dividing, shielding them from the effects of chemotherapy. The effect wears off within a day and does not seem to make any difference in long-term hair growth. Reprinted from http://www.sjmercury.com |
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