Gene Expression Profiling Suggests Severe, Extensive Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia May Be Both Clinically and Biologically Distinct From Limited Disease Subtypes

This study explored the gene expression profiles of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) to determine if severe, extensive cases are biologically distinct from limited disease subtypes. Tissue samples from women with both focal, limited, and extensive CCCA were analyzed. The study found that severe CCCA was associated with increased expression of genes MMP9, SFRP4, and MSR1, which are linked to fibrosis, Wnt signaling, and macrophage-mediated inflammatory processes, respectively. These findings suggested that severe CCCA might have a unique gene expression pattern, indicating potential targets for future research on prognostic markers and therapeutic interventions.