How to demystify the effectiveness of the method?
Although popular in Europe and the United States, awareness of this method is just beginning in Canada. As clinicians, you may have heard that "cooling caps don't work." However, before taking for granted or spreading this false rumor, it is crucial to understand the key success factors:
- <strong>Respect the cooling time</strong>: To effectively prepare the scalp before chemotherapy, it is recommended to wear the cap for 50 minutes before the start of the infusion, and for the entire duration of the infusion according to the manufacturer's instructions. Chemotherapeutic agents generally remain highly active in the body for at least 4 hours, according to the drug monograph (the half-life of the drug is a good benchmark in this regard). The use of fixed cooling caps or manual caps offered by the healthcare environment which require the patient to stop using the caps (often to free their chair in the chemotherapy room) after only 1.5 hours after the end of the infusion is the 'one of the problems. Wearing the cap for at least 3 to 5 hours after the end of the infusion is essential, which is why manual cooling caps that can continue to be used at home after the end of the infusion have proven effective. This significant difference in the cooling time undoubtedly explains the variation in the quality of the results obtained.
- <strong>Respect the temperature of caps</strong>: Maintaining the appropriate temperature of caps is essential, which is why it is crucial to change them every 20 to 25 minutes. Some health centers that offer the use of manual caps may choose to change them every 45 to 50 minutes, but this frequency does not keep their temperature low enough and their effectiveness is reduced.
- <strong>Follow the hair care protocol</strong>: The chemotherapy still weakens the follicles, so it is essential to follow a rigorous hair care protocol. For example, a patient who does not follow the hair washing protocol, uses non-recommended hair products, or applies hair dye will have their results affected.
- <strong>Respect the lifespan of caps</strong>: In general, crylon gel loses its effectiveness after approximately 1 year of use, or approximately 3 patients. Some healthcare centers continue to use the same headsets year after year, decreasing their performance over time. This is also why rental is preferred.
It is important to consider the following elements that play a role in providing access to information to clinicians:
- Clinicians practicing in Canada have generally not been informed of this method during their training, which explains their reluctance to recommend a method in which they have not been trained.
- Clinicians must inquire independently, which requires time and energy that they do not always have available. Access to manual cooling caps in Canada (without going through the United States) has only been possible since July 2020. Unlike large pharmaceutical companies, the cap rental company does not have lobbying representatives, and Marketing budgets are almost non-existent.
This is why Keep your hair’s mission is to train and inform health professionals across the province. feel free to contact us for any questions or for any training requests in your healthcare environment. We will be happy to inform you and, if necessary, to put you in contact with the oncology team at the Center Hospitalist of the University of Montreal (CHUM), which supports the use cooling helmets in its establishment.
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