Dataset Information

Scalp cooling for reducing alopecia in gynecology oncology patients treated with dose-dense chemotherapy: A pilot project.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Determine the efficacy of scalp cooling for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in gynecology oncology patients.

Methods

This prospective pilot study included patients diagnosed with a gynecological malignancy that received DigniCap™ scalp cooling. Patients were divided into two groups based on chemotherapy regimen: Carboplatin with area under the curve (AUC) 5-6 every three weeks and (1) conventional Paclitaxel 175 mg/m² every three weeks or (2) Paclitaxel 80 mg/m² weekly. A 1-10 visual analogue scale (1 no hair loss, 10 - complete hair loss) was used to assess degree of hair loss by patients themselves and by a certified dermatologist using photographs. Changes in quality of life and body image were measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire version 3 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Body Image Scale (BIS) for cancer patients.

Results

Hair preservation occurred with use of a scalp cooling device for patients receiving weekly Paclitaxel (n = 20), but not conventional every three weeks Paclitaxel (n = 8). Ten of 15 patients (66.7%) in the dose-dense group lost less than 50% of their hair based on self-assessment and 14 of 16 (87.5%) based on dermatologist assessment. No patient in this group acquired a cranial prosthesis (wig). There was no difference between groups in terms of quality of life (QoL) and BIS scores.

Conclusion

Scalp cooling may allow for hair preservation in gynecology oncology patients receiving Carboplatin AUC 5-6 and weekly Paclitaxel 80 mg/m² combination chemotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Mitric C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8355950 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a common and distressing adverse effect. In previous studies of scalp cooling to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, conclusions have been limited.To evaluate whether use of a scalp cooling system is associated with a lower amount of hair loss among women receiving specific chemotherapy regimens for early-stage breast cancer and to assess related changes in quality of life.A prospective cohort study conducted at 5 US medical centers of women with stage I or II breast cancer receiving adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens excluding sequential or combination anthracycline and taxane (106 patients in the scalp cooling group and 16 in the control group; 14 matched by both age and chemotherapy regimen). The study was conducted between August 2013 and October 2014 with ongoing annual follow-up for 5 years.Use of a scalp cooling system. Scalp cooling was initiated 30 minutes prior to each chemotherapy cycle, with scalp temperature maintained at 3°C (37°F) throughout chemotherapy and for 90 minutes to 120 minutes afterward.Self-estimated hair loss using the Dean scale was assessed 4 weeks after the last dose of chemotherapy by unblinded patient review of 5 photographs. A Dean scale score of 0 to 2 (?50% hair loss) was defined as treatment success. A positive association between scalp cooling and reduced risk of hair loss would be demonstrated if 50% or more of patients in the scalp cooling group achieved treatment success, with the lower bound of the 95% CI greater than 40% of the success proportion. Quality of life was assessed at baseline, at the start of the last chemotherapy cycle, and 1 month later. Median follow-up was 29.5 months.Among the 122 patients in the study, the mean age was 53 years (range, 28-77 years); 77.0% were white, 9.0% were black, and 10.7% were Asian; and the mean duration of chemotherapy was 2.3 months (median, 2.1 months). No participants in the scalp cooling group received anthracyclines. Hair loss of 50% or less (Dean score of 0-2) was seen in 67 of 101 patients (66.3%; 95% CI, 56.2%-75.4%) evaluable for alopecia in the scalp cooling group vs 0 of 16 patients (0%) in the control group (P?<?.001). Three of 5 quality-of-life measures were significantly better 1 month after the end of chemotherapy in the scalp cooling group. Of patients who underwent scalp cooling, 27.3% (95% CI, 18.0%-36.6%) reported feeling less physically attractive compared with 56.3% (95% CI, 31.9%-80.6%) of patients in the control group (P?=?.02). Of the 106 patients in the scalp cooling group, 4 (3.8%) experienced the adverse event of mild headache and 3 (2.8%) discontinued scalp cooling due to feeling cold.Among women undergoing non-anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, the use of scalp cooling vs no scalp cooling was associated with less hair loss at 4 weeks after the last dose of chemotherapy. Further research is needed to assess outcomes after patients receive anthracycline regimens, longer-term measures of alopecia, and adverse effects.clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01831024.