Contreras Molina M, Álvarez Bueno C, Cavero Redondo I, Lucerón Lucas-Torres MI, Jiménez López E, García Maestro A. Effectiveness of Scalp Cooling to Prevent Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Cancer Nurs 2024;
47:319-326. [PMID:
37026981 DOI:
10.1097/ncc.0000000000001234]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Chemotherapy-induced alopecia could cause significant psychological changes, affecting patients' quality of life and their capacity to cope with the disease.
OBJECTIVES
The aims of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of scalp cooling (SC) to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia in patients with breast cancer and to compare the use of automated versus nonautomated therapy delivery devices.
METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (through PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov from their inception to October 2022. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of SC to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia in patients with breast cancer using fixed-effects models to calculate the pooled relative risk (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS
The 8 included studies showed a 43% reduction in the risk of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.50-0.64) after the use of SC. Moreover, the use of automated SC devices showed a 47% reduction (RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.45-0.60) in the risk of chemotherapy-induced alopecia versus a 43% reduction in the risk of chemotherapy-induced alopecia for nonautomated SC devices (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.44-0.70).
CONCLUSION
Our results showed that SC significantly reduced the risk of chemotherapy-induced alopecia.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Local cold application is a nonpharmacologic therapy that may provide a useful intervention to reduce hair loss and contribute to the psychological well-being of women. Scalp cooling contributes directly to reducing concern about altered body image and to reducing anxiety related to self-concept.
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