WASHINGTON, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Led by six globally-recognized experts in cancer care, the organization known as CHILL, Cancer-related Hair Loss, International Leadership and Linkage, announced today an initiative to collect and track evidence-based patient information and clinical guidance. Data will be used to establish clinical best practices to ensure maximum effectiveness of scalp cooling to minimize chemotherapy-induced hair loss. A new website, scalpcooling.org will serve as a global hub for patients and care providers seeking information about hair loss and scalp cooling, as well as a decision aid with data from the CHILL registry showing chances of hair loss with and without scalp cooling.

With an estimated 14.1 million patients diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2012 (according to World Cancer Research Fund International), cancer is a significant global health issue affecting every region and socioeconomic group. The CHILL Registry strives to become a platform that allows clinicians to understand cancer-related hair loss during leading edge cancer therapies, improve supportive care by comparing their own data with international estimates, and access the extensive resources of comprehensive cancer treatment teams around the world. 

"Scalp cooling is well-recognized around the globe as a therapeutic solution to one of the most troublesome side effects of chemotherapy," said CHILL Executive Board Member Dr. Corina van den Hurk, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation. "The launch of the CHILL Registry is a significant step forward as we work together to develop best practices in supportive care."

CHILL has designed an online registry that makes communication and global research accessible to all health care professionals interested in using scalp cooling with their chemotherapy patients. The registry collects data about severity of hair loss of patients with and without scalp cooling. For patients undergoing treatment with scalp cooling, physicians can also gather information on tolerance and satisfaction with the results of treatment.

As scalp cooling results vary depending on several factors, the CHILL Registry amasses information including:

• Clinical: type and dose of chemotherapy, infusion time, post-infusion cooling time
• Patient characteristics: age, ethnic background, hair thickness, chemical treatment of hair, smoking, body mass index
• Efficacy: severity and pattern of hair loss, and in case of scalp cooling: tolerance and satisfaction
• Follow up information: dependent on availability and willingness of patient to be contacted six months after treatment to evaluate hair growth and results to determine incidence of persistence hair loss

Launching this unique initiative at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) conference June 22-24, 2017 in Washington, DC, the clinicians spearheading the CHILL registry and serving as the CHILL Executive Board include:

• Corina van den Hurk, PhD , Epidemiologist, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL) – Netherlands
• Annie Young, PhD, Professor of Nursing, University of Warwick and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust – Coventry, United Kingdom
• Frances Boyle, AM, MBBS (Hons 1), PhD Pharmacology, FRACP (Medical Oncology), Professor of Medical Oncology and Director of Patricia Richie Center for Cancer Care and Research, Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Mater Hospital and University of Sydney – Sydney, Australia
• Hope Rugo, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and Director, Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center – San Francisco, California, United States
• Mario Lacouture, MD, Director, Oncodermatology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – New York, New York, United States
• Julie Winstanley, PhD, MSc, CStat, CSci and Associate Professor, Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Mater Hospital and University of Sydney – Sydney, Australia

Positive results from two separate multi-center clinical trials on scalp cooling were published in February 2017 by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Both U. S. studies of breast cancer patients using the DigniCap and Paxman scalp cooling devices found that a majority of patients achieved favorable results from scalp cooling treatments to prevent hair loss.

The scalp cooling medical device features a tight-fitting silicone cooling cap that is placed directly on the head, and an outer neoprene cap that insulates and secures the silicone cap. The cooling cap is connected to a cooling and control unit. A liquid coolant circulates throughout the silicone cap, delivering consistent and controlled cooling to all areas of the scalp. Once the cap is fitted to the head, the temperature of the scalp skin is significantly lowered, resulting in vasoconstriction with reduced delivery of chemotherapy to the scalp skin, as well as reduced cellular uptake of drugs due to decreased intra-follicular metabolic rate. These factors together minimize the hair loss that is a side effect of many chemotherapy agents.  

THE CHILL Registry is funded by Dignitana, maker of The DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System and Paxman, maker of the Paxman Scalp Cooling System.

About CHILL
Launched in 2016, CHILL, Cancer-related Hair Loss, International Leadership and Linkage, is a collaboration between cancer specialists in several countries to collect and share knowledge about the treatment and prevention of hair loss, a common side effect of chemotherapy as well as scalp-cooling treatment to address this side effect. CHILL maintains the website scalpcooling.org as well as a global registry to reflect the incidence of hair loss in daily clinical practise. This platform facilitates the exchange of information among patients, physicians, nurses and researchers.

Media Contact
Corina Van Den Hurk
+31 6 2098 2028
C.vandenHurk@iknl.nl

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SOURCE CHILL