Alopecia in Association with Malignancy: A Review

August 2018 in “ American Journal of Clinical Dermatology ”

Poonkiat Suchonwanit, Amy J. McMichael

alopecia neoplastica treatment-related alopecia paraneoplastic alopecia biopsy chemotherapy-induced alopecia CIA radiation-induced alopecia RIA scalp cooling permanent alopecia telogen effluvium alopecia areata alopecia mucinosa chemotherapy-induced hair loss radiation-induced hair loss

TLDR Hair loss in cancer patients can be related to the cancer itself, treatment, or other conditions, and understanding it is important for diagnosis and patient care.

The document reviewed the relationship between alopecia and cancer, categorizing hair loss in cancer patients into alopecia neoplastica, treatment-related alopecia, and paraneoplastic alopecia. It highlighted that alopecia neoplastica requires biopsy for diagnosis, chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is common and usually reversible but can be permanent, and radiation-induced alopecia (RIA) can also be temporary or permanent based on radiation dose. Scalp cooling was discussed as an effective prevention for CIA, and the need for further research on permanent alopecia was emphasized. Additionally, paraneoplastic alopecia conditions like telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, and alopecia mucinosa were described, with their potential links to malignancies. The document stressed the importance of recognizing alopecia in cancer patients for diagnosis and improving quality of life, and disclosed one author's lack of conflicts of interest and the other's multiple affiliations with healthcare companies.

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