Antineoplastic-induced alopecia: An integrative review of the use of hair cryotherapy as a prevention strategy

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The present study is an integrative literature review on the use of capillary cryotherapy to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Alopecia is one of the most feared adverse reactions by most patients diagnosed with cancer, having a higher impact on females because it is an aspect that is related to femininity.  Hair loss affects not only the patients’ physical state, but especially the psychological state, decreasing self-esteem and impairing the quality of life of these patients. The method consists of cooling the scalp through the use of frozen caps that must be changed every 30 minutes or through a cooling system that maintains a constant temperature of the cap, not being necessary for change. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the effectiveness of capillary cryotherapy, in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in patients undergoing cancer treatment. METHOD: The data collection method was performed based on the theoretical framework of Whittemore and Knafl, which consists of six stages: identification and elaboration of the research problem, search in the literature, evaluation of the data found, data analysis and presentation of the results. To elaborate the research problem, the PICO strategy was used and defined as: Is capillary cryotherapy effective to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia in cancer patients? Data were collected from June to August 2022. The search was conducted on the main research platforms such as the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE), PUBMED, periodic CAPES, GOOGLE ACADEMIC and Virtual Health Library (VHL) from 2012 to 2022. RESULTS: A total of 3795 articles were found, but 3701 were excluded after reading the titles and abstracts because they did not attend the theme proposed by the study, remaining only 94 articles. However, only 15 remained for analysis, since 34 articles were not entirety available, 12 did not address the subject, 31 were duplicated and 2 were dissertations. The results were presented and detailed by constructing a flowchart based on the recommendations of the PRISMA method. To evaluate these articles, we elaborated the construction of a chart that addresses the name of the article, author, language and year, type of study and main results of each article. Then, the articles were discussed in three categories: Greater efficacy of capillary cryotherapy with the use of taxanes; Methods of using hair cryotherapy; and adverse effects of capillary cryotherapy. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that capillary cryotherapy is effective in preventing chemotherapy-induced alopecia, but to obtain positive results, a series of recommendations and care should be followed. Many factors can interfere with its effectiveness, especially the protocol that the patient uses for treatment. It is noticed that, when associated with chemotherapy based on taxanes, its use presents better results compared to anthracyclines. Nevertheless, concerns about the appearance of scalp metastases and cold-associated burns are highlighted. Albeit, we emphasize the importance of the nursing professional in this process, because he is responsible for welcoming, preparing and guiding the patient on the care and use of the cap. For this, the professional must be qualified and able to clarify doubts and perform the technique correctly.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.012-044