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Background: Alopecia is one of the most common adverse effects of chemotherapy. It reduces the patient's self-esteem and quality of life and the effect of therapy. Scalp cooling is the only verified current method for prevention but success is not guaranteed, particularly after receiving anthracycline-based combinations. Low-level light therapy has been clinically proven to inhibit the progress of androgenic alopecia. A previous study using human subjects shows limited benefits for low-level light therapy for patients who suffer chemotherapy-induced alopecia but an increase in the number of probes and the optimization of light sources may improve the efficacy. This study determines the efficacy of low-level light therapy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced hair loss for patients with breast cancer using a randomized controlled trial. Methods: One hundred six eligible breast cancer patients were randomly distributed into a low-level light therapy group and a control group, after receiving chemotherapy. Subjects in the low-level light therapy group received 12 courses of intervention within 4 weeks. Subjects in the control group received no intervention but were closely monitored. The primary outcome is measured as the difference in the hair count in a target area between the baseline and at the end of week 4, as measured using a phototrichogram (Sentra scalp analyzer). The secondary outcomes include the change in hair count at the end of week 1, week 2, and week 3 and hair width at the end of week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4, as measured using a phototrichogram, and the change in distress, the quality of life, and self-esteem due to chemotherapy-induced alopecia, at the end of week 4, as measured using a questionnaire. Discussion: This study improves cancer patients' quality of life and provides clinical evidence. Trial registration: Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov—NCT05397457 on 1 June 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), although generally reversible, is felt as extremely distressing by patients with breast cancer. A certified medical device (Capelli Naturali a Contatto®-CNC®) was produced to provide patients with a personalized scalp prosthesis, reproducing the patient's original hair, resistant to any type of everyday or sporting activity, and hairdressing.Aims: The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the CNC® device on the patient's perception of their body image, psychological wellbeing, satisfaction, strengths and weakness of the CNC® device.Method: A pilot study was carried out on 21 patients affected by CIA due to recurrent breast cancer. A mixed quantitative/qualitative method was used, including administering a questionnaire and a focus group.Results: Based on the Body Image Scale, body image perception improved after 3 and 6 months using the device in the 20 patients who answered the questionnaire. No significant change over time emerged for the six dimensions investigated by the Italian version of the Psychological Well-Being Scale. The thematic analysis of the focus groups showed six themes: definition of the prosthetic device, acceptance of the proposal, experience with the conventional wig, strengths, weaknesses, economic issues.Conclusion: Compared to the previous experience of CIA and the standard wig, the use of the CNC® device improved everyday life and may be proposed to women undergoing chemotherapy and expecting alopecia to prevent discomfort, social embarrassment, and compromised body image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]