Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the United Kingdom, with 55,920 new cases presenting each year (Cancer Research UK., 2023). Between 40—100% of patients who receive chemotherapy for breast cancer experience complete alopecia during which can result in permanent hair loss (Kang et al., 2019; Munzone et al., 2019). Chemotherapy induced alopecia is well documented as one of the most emotionally distressing side effects of receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer (Altun and Sonkaya., 2018), with eight percent of patients stating that they would consider declining curative treatment based on the risk of chemotherapy induced alopecia (Kluger et al., 2012). Scalp cooling is the most established intervention used to protect hair follicles during chemotherapy, yet access varies across the United Kingdom and is currently not available in Northern Ireland.

This study aims to explore the experience of hair loss for people undergoing chemotherapy with breast cancer across the United Kingdom.

The research will explore how hair loss is incorporated into discussions from diagnosis to treatment and both patient and professional perceptions and/ or experience of using or implementing scalp cooling.

Follow this link to complete the questionnaire