PATIENT CARE
UKclinicianhelpscreate scalpcoolingregistry
A comprehensive database will track and record patient experience of scalp cooling, in an effort to reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
A nursing professor at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, has helped to develop the world’s first global scalp cooling website to allow clinicians to share best practice patient care. Professor Annie Young, who also works
at Warwick Medical School is one of six global cancer care experts behind the CHILL (Cancer-related Hair Loss, International Leadership CHILL and Linkage) initiative and is the only UK clinician involved in the project. Speaking to the Clinical Services Journal,
Prof Young explained that the website,
scalpcooling.org will serve as a global hub for patients and care providers seeking information about the treatment. It will collect and track evidence-based patient information and clinical guidance on cancer-related hair loss.
“Hair loss in patients having chemotherapy can be devastating on top of the cancer diagnosis and other side effects of anti-cancer treatments,” said Prof Young. “Our patients want to use scalp cooling and we need to ensure best practices are developed to improve patients’ quality of life and make it a choice for all. By working together and sharing information we will have a huge database so that we can establish best clinical practices for the individual patient and help ensure that scalp cooling is as effective as possible in minimising chemotherapy-induced hair loss.” According to the World Cancer Research
Fund International, there were an estimated 14.1 million patients diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2012. Cancer is a significant global health issue affecting every region and socioeconomic group. It is estimated that in patients with solid tumours ie in an organ or tissue (blood cancer and lymphomas excluded) 25% will receive chemotherapy as an initial treatment and 50% are at risk of severe alopecia.
Professor Annie Young is the only UK clinician involved in the project.
Understanding cancer-related hair loss
The CHILL Registry therefore strives to become a platform that allows clinicians to understand cancer-related hair loss. By working together and sharing vital information it will help improve supportive care by comparing their own data with international estimates, and access the extensive resources of comprehensive cancer treatment teams around the world. Prof Young explained that by inputting information from all over the world, UK patients will have more real-world evidence to enable them to make a more informed, ‘personalised’ choice. This will allow patients
The damage that chemotherapy causes to the hair follicle can be alleviated by using scalp cooling, also known as the ‘cold cap’.
JUNE 2018
to understand what their chances of losing their hair would be for their particular type and dose of chemotherapy, both with and without scalp cooling. She added: “The UK is behind the Netherlands in implementing scalp cooling in the NHS, despite having the highest number of machines of any country. This is because nurses and oncologists are sometimes the gatekeepers of use or not. Extra space and extra ‘chair time’ is required for patients having chemotherapy, because of the coolers. There are many excellent cancer centres in the UK offering scalp cooling to all women and men who will lose their hair because of the chemotherapy, and we can all learn how they organise their services in order to meet a growing patient demand. “We know from studies that healthcare professionals do not hold the same feelings about scalp cooling, for example, regarding tolerability and efficacy. We will collect all of this data from as many countries as possible, analyse and shout the findings aloud – first to patients and their carers and next, to healthcare professionals in the UK with our new CHILL Registry.”
Accessible information
The online database will make communication and global research accessible to all healthcare professionals interested in using scalp cooling with their chemotherapy patients. Data about the severity of hair loss according to patients and standardised measures will be collected. For patients undergoing treatment with scalp cooling, physicians can also gather information on tolerance and satisfaction with the results of treatment. The following types of information will be included on the database: l Clinical: type and dose of chemotherapy, chemotherapy infusion time, post chemotherapy cooling time with scalp coolers
l Patient characteristics: age, ethnic background, hair thickness, chemical treatment of hair, smoking, body mass index
l Efficacy: severity and pattern of hair loss, and in case of scalp cooling; tolerance and satisfaction
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