Scalp Tourniquet in the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

Abstract
To the Editor: Alopecia, occurring after the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy, often presents an esthetic and psychologically disturbing problem and may on occasion result in refusal to accept a treatment that is of proved efficacy in a variety of solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms.The use of a scalp tourniquet, which reduces the blood flow to the scalp and hair follicles during the intravenous administration and subsequent period of highest plasma cytotoxic concentration, has already been shown in noncomparative studies to reduce the frequency of alopecia both in single-agent chemotherapy with vincristine (N Engl J Med 283:1469, 1970) and multiple . . .