Korean J Dermatol.
2013 Dec;51(12):933-938.
A Clinical Study of Chemotherapy-Induced Permanent Alopecia
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dylee@smc.samsung.co.kr
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
Anagen Effluvium is one of the typical side effects of chemotherapy, which is completely reversible. However, there are growing numbers of chemotherapy-induced permanent alopecia (CIPAL) which are characterized by an absence of or an incomplete hair regrowth 6-months beyond the cessation of chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to reveal the clinical characteristics of CIPAL patients.
METHODS
We retrospectively included 54 cases with CIPAL whom are being diagnosed from January 1996 to December 2011. The age, gender, duration of alopecia, familial history of alopecia, past medical history (including the types of chemotherapy agents), clinical patterns of alopecia and treatment responses were all analyzed.
RESULTS
There was no sexual predominance. Mean age of the onset was 31.5 years old. There were two morphological types of CIPAL: diffused (69%) and androgenetic patterned (31%). Cyclophosphamide is the most commonly used chemotherapy agent in both types of alopecia. The response to treatment with topical minoxidil and/or oral finasteride was rather restrictive.
CONCLUSION
In some cases of hair loss due to chemotherapic agents, the hair regrowths after the cessation of chemotherapy are rather restricted. This study demonstrated the clinical features of CIPAL. The patterns of CIPAL are either diffused or androgenetic. Thus, it is necessary to consider the possibilities of permanent alopecia which may occur after chemotherapy.
