American family physician
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Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is now potentially preventable. Although scalp tourniquets and hypothermia are neither universally applicable nor always successful, they represent simple and relatively inexpensive methods for reducing hair loss. When successful, these techniques help maintain the patient's self-image and thereby diminish the devastating psychologic effects that accompany a diagnosis of cancer.
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Ionizing radiation used in treating the head and neck area produces oral side effects such as mucositis, salivary changes, trismus and radiation caries. Sequelae of cancer chemotherapy often include oral stomatitis, myelosuppression and immunosuppression. Infections of dental origin in compromised patients are potentially lethal. Specific programs to eliminate dental pathology before radiation and chemotherapy, and to maintain oral hygiene during and after therapy, will minimize these complications.