Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia in Ovarian Cancer: Incidence, Mechanisms, and Impact Across Treatment Regimens
Hair loss caused by chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is common and has a major effect on quality of life and loss of self-respect. Standard treatment of ovarian cancer includes surgery and chemotherapy sometimes administered before and after surgery. Two drugs are usually part of the chemo; cytotoxics and growth inhibitors.
When the growth inhibitor Paclitaxel is used hair loss occurs for all patients with complete baldness (alopecia), usually reversible, for about 65%.
Despite being so frequent there is little understanding about hair loss. Chemotherapy unfortunately is non-selective with side effects caused by damage to normal cell division. This is greatest for structures which have rapid cell turnover, notably hair, gut and nerves. Cell death occurs and hair breaks with sometimes alopecia.
The psychological impact is significant and may result in patients resisting or absconding from treatment. For them alternative treatment with doxorubicin may be used, hair loss is reduced with this drug but not excluded.
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