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Most hair grows back after chemotherapy, but a minority, especially after docetaxel, are left with thin hair, and tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors cause gradual thinning. Minoxidil lotion or low-dose tablets, the same treatment used for pattern hair loss, improved regrowth in most patients in dermatology series and shortened regrowth time in an early randomised trial.
Minoxidil is a potassium-channel opener that prolongs the growth (anagen) phase of hair follicles; topical 2 percent and 5 percent formulations are licensed for androgenetic alopecia and low-dose oral minoxidil (0.25 to 5 mg) is prescribed off-label for the same purpose. In a randomised placebo-controlled trial of 22 women receiving doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (Duvic et al., 1996), topical 2 percent minoxidil did not prevent hair loss but shortened the time to maximal regrowth by about 50 days. For persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, most often after docetaxel or after busulfan conditioning for transplant, and for endocrine-therapy-induced alopecia, the Memorial Sloan Kettering dermatology group reported that topical minoxidil produced moderate or significant improvement in around 80 percent of treated patients with endocrine-related hair thinning (Freites-Martinez et al., JAMA Dermatology 2018), and case series of low-dose oral minoxidil describe similar regrowth. There are no large randomised trials in these settings. Side effects are scalp irritation, unwanted facial hair, and with tablets fluid retention, palpitations and low blood pressure; it should be prescribed by a clinician aware of the patient's cardiac history.
Opening ATP-sensitive potassium channels increases follicular blood flow and growth-factor signalling, extending anagen and enlarging miniaturised follicles.
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One technology page on OnCo cites this paper by its DOI; this record gives the citation a page of its own so a reader can follow it without leaving OnCo. Read the abstract above alongside the citing page listed under Related; the record was created automatically from the Europe PMC entry and its figures have not been checked by hand.
One technology page on OnCo cites this paper by its DOI; this record gives the citation a page of its own so a reader can follow it without leaving OnCo. Read the abstract above alongside the citing page listed under Related; the record was created automatically from the Europe PMC entry and its figures have not been checked by hand.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss" OR ABSTRACT:"Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss, not a curated reading list.
Shares Aromatase inhibitor, Exemestane, Letrozole (and other aromatase inhibitors), Tamoxifen and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Aromatase inhibitor, Exemestane, Letrozole (and other aromatase inhibitors), Endocrine therapy (SERMs, AIs, SERDs) and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Scalp cooling (cold caps: DigniCap, Paxman), Docetaxel, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Supportive care and survivorship roadmap: making treatment bearable → proving it extends life → caring for tens of millions afterwards, Late effects and survivorship toxicity, Survivorship and late effects are neglected, Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Supportive care and survivorship roadmap: making treatment bearable → proving it extends life → caring for tens of millions afterwards, Late effects and survivorship toxicity, Survivorship and late effects are neglected, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Regrowth after chemotherapy (chemo curls), Camouflage and restoration: fibres, micropigmentation, transplantation, Persistent radiation-induced alopecia, Anagen effluvium (chemotherapy hair loss) and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Scalp cooling (cold caps: DigniCap, Paxman), Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Low-level light therapy (photobiomodulation) for hair, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.