Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42246347›Full record

ArticleDermatology online journal2026

Scalp cooling and chemotherapy-induced alopecia: Evaluating cost-effectiveness and insurance coverage.

Lauren N McGrath, Alice Mikulinsky, Steven R Feldman

Abstract read
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Article in Dermatology online journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

3 authors.

Lauren N McGrathDepartment of Dermatology, Center for Dermatology Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Alice MikulinskyWake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Steven R FeldmanDepartment of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) substantially affects patients' quality of life. Scalp cooling, or cold capping, reduces chemotherapy uptake in hair follicles and can help preserve hair, but insurance coverage remains inconsistent, limiting access. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis from a payer perspective comparing scalp cooling with 2 dermatologic management strategies for CIA. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for scalp cooling was $3,050 per QALY versus dermatologic management plus minoxidil and -$2,950 per QALY versus dermatologic management plus minoxidil and platelet-rich plasma. Both ICERs fall below common United States willingness-to-pay thresholds, indicating that scalp cooling is cost-effective. These findings suggest that scalp cooling is a financially reasonable supportive care intervention and should be considered for routine insurance coverage.

Indexed as

AlopeciaAntineoplastic AgentsHypothermia, InducedInsurance CoverageCost-Benefit AnalysisCost-Effectiveness AnalysisHumansMinoxidilQuality-Adjusted Life YearsScalpUnited StatesVasodilator AgentsAntineoplastic AgentsMinoxidilVasodilator Agentschemotherapy-induced alopeciacold cappingcost-effectiveness analysishealth economicsinsurance coveragescalp cooling

Identifiers

PMID42246347

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.