About Chemotherapy-related

Hair Loss & Other Hair Loss

 

Losing one’s hair is a profoundly unnerving phenomenon that affects daily life, social relationships, and even one’s own confidence. While about 2% of the world’s population suffers from general hair loss, it is an extremely common side effect of chemotherapy for cancer patients, notably affecting 99% of breast cancer patients and 65% of all cancer patients.

 

As chemotherapy indiscriminately targets rapidly dividing cells, hair is particularly susceptible to its effects. Current treatments for chemotherapy-induced hair loss include scalp cooling caps which prevent blood flow to the head, reducing the likelihood that chemotherapy drugs reach the hair follicles as well as Minoxidil, or Rogaine, used more generally for age-related alopecia but also to promote hair regeneration after chemotherapy.

 

However, the benefits of Rogaine for post-chemotherapy patients are unclear, and other treatments do not work well enough to prevent hair follicle destruction during chemotherapy. Thus, there is a need for new therapeutic targets for treating hair loss, especially for cancer patients for whom the likely standard-of-care chemotherapy will destroy their hair follicle cells.

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Hair loss (alopecia) can affect the scalp or your entire body, and it can be temporary or permanent. It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men.

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Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.