Many people who are stricken by Cancer lose their hair when undergoing chemotherapy treatment, something which can be traumatic in and of itself, and damaging to a person's self-esteem and confidence.
Linda Minuk, a lawyer and Cancer survivor, is now marketing the Paxman system across Canada. The system prevents hair loss, by scalp cooling, which prevents the chemotherapy from effecting and damaging the hair root bulb during chemotherapy and causing hair loss.
The system has been used by hundreds of thousands of patients in the UK since 1997 and has become the standard of care in many hospitals and is available to many patients. The device is also available in 28 countries throughout the world.
“Patients should be able to have a choice and be able to access the technology that other jurisdictions take for granted. We would like the technology to be available to patients in hospital or treatment clinic ultimately, but if it is not available we believe that it should be something that patients can request and receive. We expect that it may be covered either by extended medical insurance or the patient. In some places in the world the machines are supplied by charitable organizations, It would be a wonderful if the technology could be available to patients at either no cost or without costing a prohibitive amount," Minuk says.
The Paxman system involves the placement of special cap on a patient’s head which cools their scalp. This may be very cold for 15-20 minutes or might in some cases cause some discomfort, but that is a transient side-effect. "The majority of patients tolerate scalp cooling very well," says Minuk.
This is evidenced by a study entitled "Presentation, Impact and Prevention of Chemotherapy induced Hair Loss, which can be accessed on www.medscape.com. The Study, written by Breed, etal concludes that “Scalp cooling should be available in every hospital, and every suitable patient should be given the opportunity, after being well informed by their doctor or nurse, to choose scalp cooling.”
Cold Comfort Canada, the company which is marketing and distributing the Paxman system in Canada, had a product launch two weeks ago at the Refit Centre, where the system was on display and the Operations Director, Richard Paxman representing the Manufacturer of the system, was in town from the UK. The system was developed by Richard's father and uncle, after a primitive scalp cooling system had not worked on his mother.
"The Paxman family was in the beer cooling business and from their knowledge of refrigeration and cooling Mr. Paxman Sr. developed the system for his wife who had breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy. It really is ingenious," Minuk explains. “They have spent the last decade and a half in the medical device field and have become the world leader in scalp cooling technology-- not bad for a family who took their inspiration from a wife and mother, made it both a labour of love and a business dedicated to lessening the trauma of cancer for others in the same situation.”
According to Minuk, "The Paxman system has proven success rates supported by clinical data, medical clinicians, nursing staff and patients.” In fact it has already been in use in the UK for the past 15 years and is also available in, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Spain and Greece, among others.
“More primitive forms of scalp cooling have been used for the past 40 years. The science was already there, and they perfected it,” Minuk adds "Currently in the US the Paxman Scalp Cooling system is going through FDA approval," says Minuk, who notes that she has had close relatives and friends with cancer who have had to undergo chemotherapy and suffer hair loss.
“I have known about scalp cooling in the prevention of hair loss in chemotherapy for a few years,” says Minuk, who strongly believes it should be made available in Canada.’ "Until you lose your hair it can be relatively easy to be out in public and go unnoticed while you have cancer," Minuk explains. "But once a person loses their hair, then they have to face the questions (and the whispering) from people who know there is something obviously wrong with their health. This can be devastating for anyone trying to carry on their daily routine as normally as possible. Whether you like it or not Cancer takes a lot away from you and losing your dignity and being stigmatized makes it worse, as you are already forced to suck up a lot”.
Present at the launch of the product at the Refit was a cancer victim who said she would have paid anything to have been offered a chance to use the system and save her from undergoing the "stigma" and “trauma” of hair loss.
Minuk adds that “Although there may be a cost to using the scalp cooling system, scalp cooling is cost-effective when compared with the cost of purchasing wigs or other head covers. A good wig can be very expensive and a cheaper wig may not stay in good condition very long.”
In Canada, the Paxman scalp cooling system has undergone several studies in Quebec by leading Oncologist Dr. Julie Lemieux regarding Quality of Life, efficacy and safety and the results have been documented and peer reviewed. "There are also numerous studies that have taken place in Europe that conclude that it should be available for patients during chemotherapy."
Minuk says “I am hopeful that the rest of Canada will catch on to what has been done in Quebec in this field.”
Anyone who is interested in learning more, can go to www.paxman-coolers.com, and can contact Minuk at www.coldcomfortcanada.ca, [email protected] by phone at Linda Minuk at 942 0539.
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