Persistent Radiation-Induced Alopecia in Patients with Central Nervous System Tumors and Head and Neck Sarcomas

May 2019 in “ Journal of clinical oncology ”

Gregory S. Phillips, Danielle Novetsky Friedman, Sabrina Trelles, Oluwaseun Kukoyi, Morgan E. Freret, Azael David Freites Martinez, Robin Unger, Joseph J. Disa, Leonard H. Wexler, Kathryn Beal, Suzanne L. Wolden, Mario E. Lacouture

radiation-induced alopecia chemotherapy radiotherapy minoxidil hair transplantation scalp reconstruction Rogaine

TLDR Radiation therapy with chemotherapy can cause severe, long-lasting hair loss.

The study investigated persistent radiation-induced alopecia (pRIA) in 62 patients with central nervous system tumors or head and neck sarcomas, revealing that concurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy (RT) was a significant risk factor for severe alopecia. The mean age of patients was 33 years, with a mean duration of 3.1 years between RT and pRIA diagnosis. The study found that 73% of patients treated with 5% minoxidil showed some response, though only 14% had complete hair regrowth. Procedural interventions like hair transplantation and scalp reconstruction showed potential for complete resolution in some cases. The findings suggested the need for prospective trials to better assess treatment efficacy.

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research The Changing Patterns of Hair Density and Thickness in South Korean Women with Hair Loss: Clinical Office-Based Phototrichogram Analysis

41 citations, December 2008 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

South Korean women with hair loss have lower hair density and thickness compared to healthy women.