Partial Regrowth of Scalp Hair in a Patient Treated with Extracorporeal Photochemotherapy and Interferon α2a

In a letter to the editor from 1998, a case was reported where a 59-year-old male patient with stage IV cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) experienced partial regrowth of scalp hair while being treated with extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) and interferon α2a. The patient, who also suffered from severe type VII androgenetic alopecia according to the Hamilton-Norwood classification, noticed hair regrowth after 10 cycles of ECP, with continued improvement until the 17th cycle. The hair regrowth was significant enough to change his classification to a stable type V/VI alopecia. The exact mechanism behind the hair regrowth was not known, but it was suggested that the immune modulatory activity of ECP might interfere with the immune cells involved in hair growth and cycling. Additionally, interferons have been associated with both hair loss and hair growth, but their effect on androgenetic alopecia was not well understood at the time. The case was notable for the partial regrowth of hair in a condition that typically does not respond well to treatments.