Many patients with breast cancer receive chemotherapy for prevention of recurrence. One of the side effects is chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). CIA causes both physical and psychological damages by appearance change. In addition, CIA can also cause secondary disorders such as, itching, pain, and other skin disorders in their scalp. Some patients are unable to wear wigs and feel anxious during chemotherapy because of these symptoms.
We developed a new type of medical wig using hypoallergenic fabrics through industry-academia collaboration to resolve these issues, and conducted a randomized, single-blinded, controlled study to assess the effects of this new medical wig. The primary endpoint was incidence of scalp dermatitis, including erythema, rash, and erosion. The secondary endpoints were incidence of scalp symptoms, alterations in scalp barrier functions and quality of life (QOL). In this symposium, I would like to consider QOL in patients who received chemotherapy using our study results.