RASopathic Alopecia: Hair Changes Associated with Vemurafenib Therapy
March 2015
in “
Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology
”
vemurafenib metastatic melanoma hair loss diffuse hair thinning body hair shedding anagen hair follicles telogen follicles catagen follicles telogen arrest alopecia areata clobetasol propionate foam hair regrowth BRAF anagen phase elastic fiber damage RAS pathway hair thinning hair shedding hair follicles
TLDR Vemurafenib therapy can cause hair loss, but clobetasol propionate foam can help regrow hair.
The study investigated hair changes in six patients undergoing vemurafenib therapy for metastatic melanoma. Five patients experienced hair loss, starting 8 to 16 weeks after treatment, with symptoms like diffuse hair thinning and body hair shedding. Histopathology showed a reduction in anagen hair follicles and an increase in telogen and catagen follicles, indicating a telogen arrest similar to alopecia areata. Treatment with clobetasol propionate foam led to significant hair regrowth within 3 to 6 weeks. The study concluded that vemurafenib-induced hair loss might be due to BRAF-mediated interruption of the anagen phase and elastic fiber damage, potentially linked to RAS pathway activation.
