Preventing chemotherapy-induced onycholysis with the use of an active local cooling device

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced onycholysis is a severe form of nail toxicity, characterized by partial or complete detachment of the nail from the nail bed. This medical condition is caused by the presence of taxanes in the patient’s blood while undergoing chemotherapy and is observed in 0 to 44% of cancer patients. The taxanes limit rapid cell reproduction, treating cancer, but also bring deterioration to the nail and nail bed structure. Cryotherapy is currently used in the form of passive cooling for the prevention of onycholysis. Ice gloves are cryotherapeutic applications that are used during chemotherapy to prevent nail toxicity. Although they are significantly effective, they cause extreme cold and pain. In this research, the effectiveness of a five-finger active cooling device was examined to control the blood flow at the distal phalanges at one hand, while increasing the patient’s comfort.