Total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) is effective for patients with refractory or diffuse skin involvement of cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL).A common concern for patients undergoing TSEBT is the development of alopecia.Patients are already burdened with the physical symptoms associated with their disease; therefore, mitigating additional physical side effects of treatment, including cosmetic concerns, is important.
As such, the purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel technique to prevent alopecia after TSEBT.Prior scalp sparing techniques have relied chain guard largely on materials found in the radiation department (e.g.
, lead, Superflab bolus), but in this report, we utilized a custom blue wax polyethylene material to create a custom scalp-sparing, dose attenuating, helmet.The priorities that lead to investigating this solution included patient comfort, full scalp protection, and practicality.We wanted to find a light weight, snug fitting, helmet to protect the entire hair line, that could be easily fabricated for any patient.
In the end, we found MULTI BASICS-3 success in our efforts to minimize radiation to the scalp for indistinguishable hair volume changes.