Evaluation of Trichodynia During Chemotherapy or Tamoxifen Treatment in Breast Cancer Patients

Between October 2007 and March 2009, a study involving 34 female breast cancer patients assessed trichodynia (hair pain) and scalp pruritus (itching) during postoperative chemotherapy (17 patients) or tamoxifen treatment (17 patients). Patients used a diary based on modified pain questionnaires to record sensations over 28 weeks. In the chemotherapy group, 100% of patients reported hair and scalp sensations, with 87% experiencing both trichodynia and pruritus, and 13% reporting only trichodynia, with sensation intensities ranging from 1 to 10. In the tamoxifen group, 31% reported sensations, with 12% experiencing both trichodynia and pruritus, 12% only pruritus, and 7% only trichodynia, with intensities between 1 and 5. No sensations were reported after week 11 in either group. The study concluded that hair and scalp sensations were significantly more common and intense in the chemotherapy group, with a correlation between the occurrence of trichodynia and the onset and duration of hair loss.