Fertility Preservation

Recent developments and current research have led the majority of children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with cancer today to become long-term survivors who move from childhood to adulthood and later into old age. This applies to patients with many types of cancer who are diagnosed early and undergo effective and less toxic treatments.

Fertility is not threatened by all types of anti-cancer therapies, however some do affect it. Therefore, the ability to obtain biological offspring emerges as an important factor that must be considered before starting treatment.

In addition to scientific and technological developments in medicine, recent developments in the legal framework in the European Union and Greece now allow patients to schedule fertility maintenance before starting treatment.

At the Contemporary Oncology Team, our specialists will highlight the options available to men and women in each case and support the patient’s decision. These procedures are performed in specialized centers and patients are encouraged to conduct their own research on the performance history and cost of these centers.

Hair Loss Prevention

Some chemotherapy drugs affect the cells of the scalp. This can lead to thinning hair or even total hair loss, depending on the treatment. Alopecia usually occurs 2 to 3 weeks after the first dose of chemotherapy. Scalp hair loss is more noticeable, but the therapy can also affect or slowdown the growth of hair on the rest of the body. Hair loss is expected to be temporary, and hair regrows after the end of chemotherapy. The hair acquires a similar color as before, although sometimes it may have a different texture when re-emerging.

The use of cooling helmets has been shown to be effective in some cases depending on the chemotherapeutic drugs used and the duration of treatment. The helmets cause the blood vessels in the scalp to contract. This spasm is thought to reduce the amount of chemotherapy drug that reaches the hair follicle cells. The cold also reduces the activity of the hair follicles and makes them less affected by chemotherapy, which targets rapidly dividing cells.