TLDR Some breast cancer patients still experience hair loss three years after chemotherapy, especially with taxane-based treatments.
In a prospective cohort study involving 61 breast cancer patients at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, it was found that permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (PCIA) occurred in 42.3% of participants three years after chemotherapy. The study, which measured hair volume and density before and after treatment, revealed that taxane-based chemotherapy regimens were more likely to result in PCIA. The most common hair-related issues at the three-year mark were hair thinning (75.0%), reduced hair volume (53.9%), hair loss (34.6%), and graying (34.6%). The findings suggest that PCIA is a significant and distressing side effect of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, highlighting the need for clinicians to be aware of this issue and to provide appropriate counseling and supportive care to mitigate its impact on patients' quality of life.
67 citations,
April 2018 in “JAMA Dermatology” Hair loss from hormone therapy in breast cancer patients can be improved with minoxidil treatment.
31 citations,
March 2017 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Some breast cancer patients developed permanent hair loss after chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, showing patterns similar to common baldness and alopecia areata.
110 citations,
August 2014 in “International journal of cancer” Scalp cooling significantly reduces chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
218 citations,
January 2013 in “The Lancet Oncology” Chemotherapy causes hair loss by damaging hair follicles and stem cells, with more research needed for prevention and treatment.
31 citations,
December 2012 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Korean women's hair thins, weakens, and greys with age, with mineral and sterol changes.
68 citations,
May 2012 in “Annals of Oncology” Some breast cancer chemotherapy can cause permanent hair loss.
67 citations,
May 2010 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Some chemotherapy can cause permanent hair loss.
61 citations,
April 2009 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement” Docetaxel and paclitaxel for breast cancer can cause permanent, severe hair loss.
47 citations,
July 2005 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Topical vitamin D3 does not prevent hair loss from chemotherapy.
10 citations,
September 2021 in “JAMA Dermatology” Different types of persistent hair loss after chemotherapy respond differently to treatments.
September 2024 in “Current Oncology” Docetaxel often causes hair loss, with limited effective treatments and no cure for permanent hair loss.
4 citations,
March 2023 in “Current Oncology” Scalp cooling is the only FDA-approved method to prevent hair loss from chemotherapy, but other treatments like minoxidil and PRP are being tested.
4 citations,
November 2021 in “Cancers” The document concludes that understanding and managing hair loss in cancer patients is important, and more research is needed for better treatments.
November 2021 in “Austin therapeutics” Current treatments for hair loss from chemotherapy are limited, but new methods are being researched.
