Patient-reported outcome assessment and objective evaluation of chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

Eur J Oncol Nurs

Radboud University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Oncology, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Published: April 2018

AI Article Synopsis

  • Alopecia from chemotherapy is a significant concern, and this study aims to compare patient-reported outcomes with a quantitative measurement (Hair Check) to assess hair loss during treatment.
  • The study evaluated scalp cooling effectiveness using various assessments and found that while Hair Mass Index (HMI) declined during chemotherapy, patient-reported measures did not accurately reflect this decline.
  • The results suggest that while the Hair Check can be a useful tool for quantifying hair loss, patient assessments remain crucial for understanding their experience with hair loss in clinical settings.

Article Abstract

Purpose: Alopecia is one of the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy. Evaluating and comparing the efficacy of potential therapies to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) has been complicated by the lack of a standardized measurement for hair loss. In this study we investigated the correlation between patient-reported outcome assessments and quantitative measurement with the hair check to assess CIA in clinical practice.

Method: Scalp cooling efficacy was evaluated by patients by World Health Organisation (WHO) of CIA, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and wig use. The Hair Check was used to determine the amount of hair (in mm) per unit of scalp skin area (in cm) (Hair Mass Index, HMI). CIA was also evaluated by doctors, nurses and hairdressers.

Results: Baseline HMI was not predictive for hair loss. HMI declined throughout all chemotherapy cycles, which was not reflected by patient-reported measures. HMI correlated with patient-reported hair quantity before the start of the therapy, but not with WHO and/or VAS during therapy. Patient's opinion correlated moderately with the opinion of doctors and nurses (ρ = 0.50-0.56 respectively), but strongly with hair dressers (ρ = 0.70).

Conclusions: The Hair check is suitable to quantify the amount of hair loss and could complement research on refining outcome of scalp cooling, but the patient's opinion should be considered as the best method to assess hair loss in clinical practice.

Trial Registration: Trialregister.nl NTR number 3082.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2018.01.001DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hair loss
16
hair check
12
hair
11
patient-reported outcome
8
chemotherapy-induced alopecia
8
measurement hair
8
scalp cooling
8
amount hair
8
doctors nurses
8
patient's opinion
8

Similar Publications

Introduction: Patients with end-stage renal disease usually undergo hemodialysis as a way of renal function replacement therapy which comes with a wide array of systemic and cutaneous complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the most frequent dermatological manifestations including xerosis, pruritis and other nail, hair and oral conditions, as these are a very important aspect to be considered while managing the patients psychological and physical needs to improve their outcomes and quality of life.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed by selecting 77 patients on hemodialysis based on a certain criteria and data was then collected on a sheet using patients database on Hakeem National E-Health Program, in addition to information from interviews with patients during their hemodialysis sessions after taking an oral informed consent and insuring patients' privacy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Decorin-mediated dermal papilla cell-derived exosomes regulate hair follicle growth and development through miR-129-2-3p/SMAD3/TGF-β axis.

Int J Biol Macromol

January 2025

College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture & Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China. Electronic address:

Decorin (DCN) is a member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family within the extracellular matrix, playing a role in the growth and development of hair follicle (HF). Exosomes serve as significant mediators of intercellular communication and are involved in the cyclic regeneration of HF. Exosomes derived from dermal papilla cells (DPC-Exos) are essential for the cycling and regrowth of HF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Application of Ultraviolet-Induced Fluorescence Trichoscopy (UVFT) in Hair and Scalp Diseases.

Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)

January 2025

Department of Dermatology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Medical College of Rzeszow University, Rzeszow, Poland.

Introduction: Ultraviolet-induced fluorescence dermoscopy (UVFD) is increasingly utilized in dermatooncology and general dermatology. The objective of the study was to characterize the ultraviolet-induced fluorescence trichoscopy (UVFT) findings in a wide range of hair and scalp conditions.

Methods: Consecutive patients with non-scarring alopecias (alopecia areata, AA, n = 40; androgenetic alopecia, AGA, n = 40), scarring alopecias (frontal fibrosing alopecia, FFA, n = 20; lichen planopilaris, LPP, n = 20; folliculitis decalvans, FD, n = 14; discoid lupus erythematosus, DLE, n = 23), and inflammatory scalp conditions (psoriasis, n = 30; seborrheic dermatitis, n = 14) were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Exposures to hazardous noise causes irreversible injury to the structures of the inner ear, leading to changes in hearing and balance function with strong links to age-related cognitive impairment. While the role of noise-induced hearing loss in long-term health consequences, such as progression or development of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been suggested, the underlying mechanisms and behavioral and cognitive outcomes or therapeutic solutions to mitigate these changes remain understudied. This study aimed to characterize the association between blast exposure, hearing loss, and the progression of AD pathology, and determine the underlying mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Millions of men and women suffer from alopecia, especially androgenic alopecia (AGA), which is considered the most common form of hair loss. The available treatments for hair loss include multiple approaches, with the most popular being synthetic drugs including minoxidil and finasteride, in addition to natural products. However, synthetic drugs have shown many undesirable side effects, on the contrary, the specifications of the commonly used natural drugs have not been reported in most of the previous studies, despite the high market preference for them.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!