Archbold Medical Center| Archives Magazine | Fall 2019

ARCHBOLD.ORG • FALL 2019 7 Join us for the Pink Affair, a benefit fashion show featuring local cancer survivors. Proceeds from the event will benefit patients who are under- going chemotherapy treatment and need caps for the new Paxman Scalp Cooling system at the Singletary Oncology Center. See page 4 for more details. MANY PATIENTS undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer will experience hair loss. And the common side effect, which typically occurs anywhere from 7 to 21 days after treatment begins, is widely recognized as one of the most traumatic experiences a patient may encounter during cancer treatment. Archbold Memorial Hospital’s Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center is hoping to change that. The Singletary Oncology Center recently acquired the Paxman Scalp Cooling System, an FDA-approved clinical technology that will help preserve patients’ hair—and their confidence—during chemotherapy. “The principle of chemotherapy is to interrupt and damage the mitotic and metabolic processes in cancer cells,” said Amanda May, MD, medical oncolo- gist at the Singletary Oncology Center. “But because chemotherapy drugs target fast-growing cells in the body, the medicine can’t tell the difference between cancer cells and other cells, like hair follicles. Hair is the second fastest dividing cell in the body, which is why THE PAXMAN SCALP COOLING SYSTEM HELPS CANCER PATIENTS KEEP THEIR HAIR scalp—an essential factor for successful treatment. The pre-cooling stage takes place 30 minutes before the chemotherapy infusion begins to ensure that the scalp is at the required temperature. The cap is worn throughout the treatment and up to 90 minutes after. Scalp cooling is most often used for patients with cancer in a tissue or an organ. The treatment is not available for patients with cancer in the blood or lymph nodes. “Your medical oncologist can help determine if you are a good candidate for the scalp cooling treatment,” said Dr. May. The treatment costs about $2,000 for each patient and is not yet typically covered by insurance. To ensure that eligible patients have affordable access to the treatment, the Archbold Foundation recently awarded a grant to the Singletary Oncology Center to help offset the cost. “Through donations made to the Archbold Foundation, we are able offer patients access to this technology that can bring the much-needed comfort they need during their cancer treatment,” said Becky Troyer, administrator at the Singletary Oncology Center. “We are very grateful for the support of the Archbold Foundation that will help ensure our patients have access to this new scalp cooling technology, regardless of their ability to pay for the treatment. We are very excited to bring this new technology to our South Georgia region, and we look forward to watching how it will positively impact the overall well-being of our patients during their cancer journeys.” Amanda May, MD, Medical Oncologist Cooler heads prevail many chemotherapy drugs tend to cause hair loss.” According to Dr. May, the damage that chemotherapy causes to hair follicles can be alleviated in certain patients by using the new scalp cooling technology. A cool new approach Scalp cooling, also referred to as “cold cap therapy,” works by narrowing the blood vessels beneath the skin of the scalp to reduce the amount of chemotherapy medicine that can reach the hair follicles. “The cooling treatment, which happens before, during and after each infusion, decreases the activity of the hair follicles, which slows down cell division and makes the follicles less affected by the chemo- therapy medicine,” said Dr. May. Hats on for innovation The cooling system consists of a com- pact refrigeration unit with a coolant that is circulated through a specially designed cooling cap. The custom-fitted cap is made of a soft, flexible silicone material, and it provides a close, but comfortable, fit around the patient’s head. As coolant passes through the cap to extract heat from the patient’s scalp, inline sensors ensure the cap keeps the scalp at an even, con- stant temperature. A neoprene cover insu- lates and protects the cap from high room temperatures, absorbs condensation, and ensures good contact with the