Alopecia With Endocrine Therapies in Patients With Cancer

September 2013 in “ Oncologist ”

Vishal Raj Saggar, Shenhong Wu, Maura N. Dickler, Mario E. Lacouture

alopecia endocrine therapies tamoxifen hair loss psychosocial impact supportive care treatments

Studysummary This study reported that alopecia is a common but often underreported side effect of endocrine-based cancer therapies, with tamoxifen showing the highest incidence of hair loss among analyzed treatments.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

The document analyzed the incidence and risk of alopecia in 19,430 patients across 35 clinical trials, with 13,415 patients receiving endocrine therapies for cancer and 6,015 serving as controls. The overall incidence of all-grade alopecia was 4.4%, with the highest incidence observed in patients treated with tamoxifen at 25.4%. The relative risk of alopecia with endocrine therapy compared to placebo was 12.88, indicating a significantly increased risk. The study concluded that alopecia is a common but underreported side effect of endocrine-based cancer therapies, with a significant impact on patients' quality of life. It highlighted the importance of pretherapy counseling, identifying risk factors, and developing interventions to manage the psychosocial impact of alopecia. The document also discussed the biological mechanisms of hair loss associated with endocrine therapies and suggested supportive care treatments.

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