Hairy Pinnae After Orchiectomy and Chemotherapy for Testicular Cancer: Acquired Localized Hypertrichosis of the Ears
January 2011
in “
Dermatology
”
TLDR A patient grew extra hair on their ears after treatment for testicular cancer, possibly due to hormonal changes or genetics.
In 2011, researchers reported a rare case of acquired localized hypertrichosis, specifically of the pinnae (outer part of the ears), which developed in a patient four months following an orchiectomy and chemotherapy for testicular cancer. This was the first documented instance of hypertrichosis of the ears occurring after cancer treatment. The researchers suggested that the condition might have been caused by hypogonadism or hormonal imbalance induced by the cancer therapy, possibly in conjunction with a genetic predisposition for hairy ears.