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Incidence of scalp metastases in breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study in women who were offered scalp cooling

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment volume 118, Article number: 547 (2009) Cite this article

Abstract

Scalp cooling is an intervention used to decrease the degree of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. The objective is to determine the incidence of scalp metastases among women with early breast cancer who received neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women with breast carcinoma diagnosed between June 1, 1998 and June 30, 2002. The median follow-up was 5.8 years (±1.7) for the scalp cooling group (n = 553) and 5.4 years (±1.7) for the non-scalp cooling group (n = 87). The incidence of scalp metastases was 1.1% (6 cases out of 553 patients) among women who used scalp cooling in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting and 1.2% also (1 case out of 87 patients) among women who did not use scalp cooling in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. The incidence of scalp metastases was low and no case presented as an isolated site of relapse.

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Notes

  1. Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil.

  2. Doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide. CMF cyclophosphamide-methotrexate-5-fluouracil.

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Acknowledgments

Carl Amireault received a grant from the Mach Gaensslen Foundation of Canada.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Service d’hématologie et oncologie, Centre des maladies du sein Deschênes-Fabia and Unité de recherche en santé des populations of the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Room JS1-01, Québec, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada

    Julie Lemieux

  2. Université Laval, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Room JS1-01, Québec, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada

    Carl Amireault

  3. Service de chirurgie, Centre des maladies du sein Deschênes-Fabia and Unité de recherche en santé des populations of the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Room JS1-01, Québec, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada

    Louise Provencher

  4. Unité de recherche en santé des populations and Centre des maladies du sein Deschênes-Fabia of the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Room JS1-01, Québec, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada

    Elizabeth Maunsell

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  1. Julie Lemieux
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  2. Carl Amireault
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  3. Louise Provencher
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  4. Elizabeth Maunsell
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Correspondence to Julie Lemieux.

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Lemieux, J., Amireault, C., Provencher, L. et al. Incidence of scalp metastases in breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study in women who were offered scalp cooling. Breast Cancer Res Treat 118, 547 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0342-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-009-0342-0

Keywords

  • Scalp cooling
  • Scalp metastases
  • Breast cancer