Dosimetric Predictors of Acute and Chronic Alopecia in Primary Brain Cancer Patients Treated With Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

Conclusions: V20Gy and V40Gy were the strongest predictors for acute and chronic G2 hair-loss, respectively. The low-dose bath typical of VMAT corresponds to large areas of acute but transient alopecia. However, the steep dose gradient of VMAT allows to reduce the areas of the scalp that receive higher doses, minimizing the risk of permanent alopecia.The application of our dosimetric findings for the scalp may help in reducing the alopecia risk and also in estimating the probability of hair-loss during patient counseling before starting radiotherapy.
Source: Frontiers in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research