The trauma of chemotherapy on ice for cancer patients

Lindsey Newton top left with Jane Lees and Hannah Whittaker, Macmillan chemotherapy clinical nurse and Rachel Tomkins, Macmillan chemotherapy staff nurse

Staff and patients in the Victoria Breast Cancer Unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital have welcomed the introduction of a new scalp cooling system to help treat breast cancer, thanks to funding from a charity called ‘Walk the Walk’.

Walk the Walk began as a charity 15 years ago when 13 women walked the New York City Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. What started out as a one-off event grew to become a thriving multi-million pound charity which now raises in excess of £82 million for breast cancer causes. They help provide vital funding for equipment like the scalp cooling machines which are now in place at The Pennine Acute Trust.

The Victoria Breast Cancer Unit at The Royal Oldham put in a successful bid for funding from ‘Walk the Walk’ for three new, state-of-the-art scalp cooling machines for use alongside their existing chemotherapy service. The new machines offer patients the very latest equipment and technology to help prevent hair loss while they are undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

The ‘cold cap’ treatment works on the principle of lowering the temperature of the scalp, which in turn reduces the blood flow to the scalp. This reduces the amount of drug that reaches the hair follicles, meaning that hair is less likely to die and fall out.

Macmillan Lead Chemotherapy Nurse, Lindsey Newton, said: “I am overwhelmed by this generous donation from ‘Walk the Walk’. Hair loss is a devastating side effect of chemotherapy treatment and these three new machines will help to minimise this side effect dramatically for some patients.

“The cap is similar to a jockey’s cap and fits snugly on the patient’s head. It is kept at a constant temperature of -6 degrees and patients have to wear the cap for 30 minutes before chemotherapy treatment is administered and for around two hours afterwards. Although patients may feel cold during the treatment, it doesn’t hurt at all and the benefits make it worthwhile for many ladies.”

Macmillan Chemotherapy Clinical Nurse Specialist, Jane Lees, based in the Victoria Breast Cancer Unit, said: “It’s great that we can now offer this service. Hair loss is a major thing for ladies with breast cancer. We have known patients consider not having chemotherapy treatment in the past because of the fear of losing their hair. This new cooling system should make a big difference as it will hopefully help to minimise this unfortunate side effect.”