In December 2025, El Servicio Extremeño de Salud (SES), with the support of the Regional Government of Extremadura, funded the installation of nine Paxman Scalp Cooling Systems across its public hospital network.
This initiative reflects the regional health system’s commitment to improving the patient experience during chemotherapy, including reducing the impact of treatment-related hair loss.
As Begoña Parrado Bosque, the Paxman Representative in Spain, explains, the initiative represents “a significant step forward in the integration of solutions that improve patients’ quality of life during cancer treatment.”
As part of the integration with scalp cooling, Dr. Santiago González, a Medical Oncologist at Oncología Médica del Hospital Universitario San Pedro de Alcántara, and Rocío Valentín, Supervisor of the Oncology Day Hospital, to support a series of workshops across all public hospitals in the region.
The objective was clear. To consolidate implementation, build confidence, and ensure equitable access to scalp cooling for patients across Extremadura.
Each session combined a theoretical component delivered by Dr Santiago, featuring scientific insights and the presentation of results based on his patients’ experiences in his day-to-day clinical practice.
Alongside clinical delivery, there was a strong focus on how scalp cooling can be integrated into day-to-day hospital workflows. As Rocío Valentín explains, “With good coordination between oncologists and nursing teams, and organisation of schedules, integrating scalp cooling into hospital workflows can be smooth and effective.”
Dr. Santiago González, alongside Rocío Valentín, shared their experience of delivering scalp cooling over nearly two years and their data spoke for itself. Across 120 patients, they reported a 70% hair retention success rate with scalp cooling.
Dr. Santiago González added, “I believe it is vital to offer this technology to patients. Having implemented Paxman scalp cooling for nearly two years, we define a success rate as retaining more than 50% of the hair, and the results have actually exceeded expectations. We have achieved a success rate of around 70%, and we have observed that hair regrows much faster than usual.”
This level of evidence is critical. It moves scalp cooling beyond theory and into proven clinical practice.
Alongside outcomes, the team shared established protocols, practical delivery tips, and ways to optimise workflows within busy day units. Rocío Valentín provided valuable insight into how services can integrate scalp cooling efficiently without disrupting care.
The progress seen in Extremadura has been made possible by the leadership of SES, whose region-wide approach has ensured access is not limited to a single centre, but delivered across the entire network.
As Dr. Santiago González notes, “I believe the efforts made by the Extremadura Health Service to implement this technology in all hospitals across the region are groundbreaking on a national level and is a significant achievement for supportive care in Spain.”
This combination of public investment, clinical leadership, and structured implementation is what turns innovation into impact. It is also what positions Extremadura as a leading example of how scalp cooling can be successfully embedded into routine cancer care.
