Eyelash Preservation During Chemotherapy and Topical Prostaglandin Therapy

The document reports a case where a 59-year-old woman undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer retained her eyelashes despite complete scalp hair loss and partial eyebrow hair loss. This preservation of eyelashes was attributed to her concurrent treatment with topical prostaglandin analogs for open-angle glaucoma, specifically travoprost and previously bimatoprost and latanoprost. Prostaglandin analogs are known to induce ocular hair growth by potentially inducing hair follicles into the anagen phase. The case suggests a cytoprotective effect of topical prostaglandins against hair follicle injury from chemotherapy, warranting further investigation. The patient experienced complete hair loss after 4 cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide but maintained eyelash prominence, which remained unchanged even after subsequent localized radiation treatment. The document highlights the need for additional research to provide evidence for prostaglandin protection against hair follicle injury during chemotherapy.