Taxane-Induced Alopecia: A Historical Review of Patients With Ovarian or Breast Cancer Treated With Paclitaxel, Docetaxel, or Paclitaxel Poliglumex

June 2005 in “ Journal of Clinical Oncology ”

EA Calhoun, E. E. Welshman, Samuel M. Brown

alopecia paclitaxel docetaxel paclitaxel poliglumex taxane macromolecular drug conjugate

TLDR PPX causes much less hair loss than traditional taxanes.

The study reviewed the incidence of alopecia in patients with ovarian or breast cancer treated with paclitaxel, docetaxel, or paclitaxel poliglumex (PPX). It found that traditional taxanes like paclitaxel and docetaxel were associated with high rates of alopecia, with 87% of paclitaxel-treated and 74.2% of docetaxel-treated patients experiencing hair loss. In contrast, PPX, a macromolecular drug conjugate, resulted in significantly less alopecia. In a phase 2 trial, only 7% of patients experienced mild hair thinning, and no grade 3 alopecia was observed among 275 patients treated with PPX. The study concluded that PPX offered effective taxane therapy with minimal alopecia, thus potentially improving patients' quality of life.

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