Abstract
One side-effect of oncological treatment is chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), a temporary form of hair loss that could influence patients’ mental health. Digitised scalp cooling systems are assuming an important role in the clinical setting during adjuvant treatment, promising hair loss prevention and allowing an efficient procedure to reinforce patients’ mental health during chemotherapy by avoiding CIA. The present study was carried out through two research protocols: in Research Protocol 1, we conducted a randomised clinical study to evaluate the emotional impact of using scalp cooling technology in women with BC compared with a traditional chemotherapy setting; in Research Protocol 2, we conducted an observational pre-post study involving women with BC diagnosis being under adjuvant chemotherapy in two experimental conditions: no scalp cooling application and scalp cooling application. Seventy-four women undergoing chemotherapy, aged 30–55 years, were enrolled in both research protocols. We investigated oncological patients’ psychological dimensions including body image, body appreciation, expectations, and satisfaction with the scalp cooling treatment, with reference to chemotherapy treatment applying the scalp cooling solution. Our data evidenced the need to implement a supportive clinical approach via brief, tailored psychological intervention addressing patients’ progressive adaptation to chemotherapy adverse events and their concerns regarding induced alopecia and the value of the scalp cooling system. Patients receiving the innovative chemotherapy probably coped with it by neglecting its physical impact, instead focusing on avoiding alopecia by using the technological solution and neglecting the emotional impact of chemotherapy as a severe pharmacological treatment.
Highlights
In primary cancer treatment, patients need to deal with chemotherapy and its associated burdensome physical effects, including effects on body image [1,2,3]
Digitised scalp cooling systems are assuming an important role in the clinical setting during adjuvant treatment, promising hair loss prevention and allowing an efficient procedure to reinforce patients’ mental health during chemotherapy >by avoiding chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) [4,5]
The increasing application of scalp cooling systems in chemotherapy has led to the emergence of an innovative solution in clinical medicine related to mental health during oncological treatments
Summary
Patients need to deal with chemotherapy and its associated burdensome physical effects, including effects on body image [1,2,3]. One such side-effect is chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), a temporary form of hair loss that could influence the mental health of patients who suffer from it. Hair loss is often one of the most feared complications of chemotherapy and is associated with increased psychosocial stress with respect to body image, self-esteem, and sexuality [8,9,10,11] This innovative preventive system is progressively going to be applied as an evidence-based practice focused on the prevention of induced hair loss [12]. Innovative solutions should be better studied by considering their mental health-related effects during pharmacological treatment and post-treatment
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