Scalp cooling for hair preservation and associated characteristics in 1411 chemotherapy patients - Results of the Dutch Scalp Cooling Registry

Abstract

Background. Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a frequently occurring side effect of cancer treatment with a high psychological impact which can be prevented by scalp cooling. With this multi-centre patient series we estimated the results of scalp cooling for currently used chemotherapies to provide patient information and we identified characteristics associated with the results. Material and methods. The Dutch Scalp Cooling Registry collected data on scalp-cooled patients in 28 Dutch hospitals. Nurses and patients completed questionnaires on patients, chemotherapy and scalp cooling characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associated characteristics of the scalp cooling result. Results. Overall, 50% of the 1411 scalp-cooled patients did not wear a head cover during their last chemotherapy session. Patients were satisfied with the results in 8% of cases after TAC chemotherapy and up to 95% after paclitaxel treatment. Besides type of chemotherapy, higher dose and shorter infusion time, older age, female gender and non-West-European type of hair significantly increased the proportion head cover use. Hair length, quantity, chemical manipulation (dyeing, waving, colouring), wetting hair before scalp cooling, and treatment with chemotherapy ever before did not influence the degree of head covering among patients. Conclusions. Scalp cooling results as recorded in this open patient registry were positive for most regimens, justifying it's use by all eligible patients, except for those needing TAC. Lengthening infusion time may improve the results.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to all patients who participated in the registration, to the nurses and MDs who performed the registration (www.scalpcooling.nl), to A. Willemse who assisted in data collection and Eindhoven Cancer Registry/ Comprehensive Cancer Centre South for hosting the scalp cooling research centre. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.