Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37060420›Full record

Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2023

The use of photobiomodulation therapy for the management of chemotherapy-induced alopecia: a randomized, controlled trial (HAIRLASER trial).

Joy Lodewijckx, Jolien Robijns, Marithé Claes, Maud Pierson, Melissa Lenaerts, Jeroen Mebis

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04036994 (Photobiomodulation Therapy for the Management of Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04036994 naunknown statusnot on this map

Photobiomodulation Therapy for the Management of Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia: a Randomized, Placebo-controlled Feasibility Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorHasselt UniversityRan2020 to 2022Enrolled30ConditionsBreast Cancer, Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia, AlopeciaArmsPhotobiomodulation therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Cancer-Related Alopecia Risk and Treatment.Current treatment options in oncology · 2025
    Review
  3. Red light therapy for patients with chemotherapy-induced alopecia.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Joy LodewijckxFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium. joy.lodewijckx@uhasselt.be.
Jolien RobijnsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Marithé ClaesFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Maud PiersonFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Melissa LenaertsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Jeroen MebisFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Hasselt University · BEJessa Hospital · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe purpose of this trial was to evaluate if photobiomodulation (PBM) can accelerate hair regrowth after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and if this is correlated with a better quality of life (QoL).

methodsA randomized controlled trial with breast cancer patients that underwent an anthracycline and taxane-containing chemotherapy regimen was set up at the Jessa Hospital (Hasselt, Belgium). Patients were randomized into the control group (no intervention) or the PBM group (three PBM sessions each week for 12 weeks, starting the last day of their chemotherapy). Hair regrowth was evaluated based on photographic assessments. Two blinded researchers independently scored the hair regrowth using a numerical rating scale (NRS). In addition, the QoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment-QOL questionnaire and Breast Cancer-specific module (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23). Data were collected on the day of their last chemotherapy session and 1, 2, and 3 months post-chemotherapy.

resultsA total of 32 breast cancer patients were included in the trial between June 2020 and February 2022. Significantly higher NRS scores were observed in the PBM group at 1-month post-chemotherapy compared to baseline, whereas they remained constant in the control group. Patients allocated to the PBM group scored their global health significantly higher at all time points compared to the control.

conclusionBased on the results of the HAIRLASER trial, PBM seems to accelerate hair regrowth after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients resulting in an improved global health status and better body image. The study was registered in July 2019 at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04036994).

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsLow-Level Light TherapyAlopeciaAntibiotics, AntineoplasticFemaleHumansQuality of LifeAntibiotics, AntineoplasticAlopeciaBreast cancerChemotherapyPhotobiomodulationQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID37060420
OpenAlexW4365811005

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.