Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention

Docetaxel is a commonly used taxane chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, and head and neck cancer. Docetaxel exerts its anti-cancer effects through inhibition of the cell...

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Main Authors: Aleymi M. Perez, Nicole I. Haberland, Mariya Miteva, Tongyu C. Wikramanayake
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Current Oncology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/9/423
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author Aleymi M. Perez
Nicole I. Haberland
Mariya Miteva
Tongyu C. Wikramanayake
author_facet Aleymi M. Perez
Nicole I. Haberland
Mariya Miteva
Tongyu C. Wikramanayake
author_sort Aleymi M. Perez
collection DOAJ
description Docetaxel is a commonly used taxane chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, and head and neck cancer. Docetaxel exerts its anti-cancer effects through inhibition of the cell cycle and induction of proapoptotic activity. However, docetaxel also impacts rapidly proliferating normal cells in the scalp hair follicles (HFs), rendering the HFs vulnerable to docetaxel-induced cell death and leading to chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). In severe cases, docetaxel causes persistent or permanent CIA (pCIA) when hair does not grow back completely six months after chemotherapy cessation. Hair loss has severe negative impacts on patients’ quality of life and may even compromise their compliance with treatment. This review discusses the notable prevalence of docetaxel-induced CIA and pCIA, as well as their prevention and management. At this moment, scalp cooling is the standard of care to prevent CIA. Treatment options to promote hair regrowth include but are not limited to minoxidil, photobiomodulation (PBMT), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In addition, a handful of current clinical trials are exploring additional agents to treat or prevent CIA. Research models of CIA, particularly <i>ex vivo</i> human scalp HF organ culture and <i>in vivo</i> mouse models with human scalp xenografts, will help expedite the translation of bench findings of CIA prevention and/or amelioration to the clinic.
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spelling doaj-art-6dc40a9facba4f848022856bf677d8792025-08-20T01:55:28ZengMDPI AGCurrent Oncology1198-00521718-77292024-09-013195709572110.3390/curroncol31090423Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and PreventionAleymi M. Perez0Nicole I. Haberland1Mariya Miteva2Tongyu C. Wikramanayake3Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USADr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USADr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USADr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USADocetaxel is a commonly used taxane chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, and head and neck cancer. Docetaxel exerts its anti-cancer effects through inhibition of the cell cycle and induction of proapoptotic activity. However, docetaxel also impacts rapidly proliferating normal cells in the scalp hair follicles (HFs), rendering the HFs vulnerable to docetaxel-induced cell death and leading to chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). In severe cases, docetaxel causes persistent or permanent CIA (pCIA) when hair does not grow back completely six months after chemotherapy cessation. Hair loss has severe negative impacts on patients’ quality of life and may even compromise their compliance with treatment. This review discusses the notable prevalence of docetaxel-induced CIA and pCIA, as well as their prevention and management. At this moment, scalp cooling is the standard of care to prevent CIA. Treatment options to promote hair regrowth include but are not limited to minoxidil, photobiomodulation (PBMT), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In addition, a handful of current clinical trials are exploring additional agents to treat or prevent CIA. Research models of CIA, particularly <i>ex vivo</i> human scalp HF organ culture and <i>in vivo</i> mouse models with human scalp xenografts, will help expedite the translation of bench findings of CIA prevention and/or amelioration to the clinic.https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/9/423docetaxelalopeciapreventionminoxidilscalp cooling
spellingShingle Aleymi M. Perez
Nicole I. Haberland
Mariya Miteva
Tongyu C. Wikramanayake
Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
Current Oncology
docetaxel
alopecia
prevention
minoxidil
scalp cooling
title Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
title_full Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
title_fullStr Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
title_full_unstemmed Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
title_short Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention
title_sort chemotherapy induced alopecia by docetaxel prevalence treatment and prevention
topic docetaxel
alopecia
prevention
minoxidil
scalp cooling
url https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/9/423
work_keys_str_mv AT aleymimperez chemotherapyinducedalopeciabydocetaxelprevalencetreatmentandprevention
AT nicoleihaberland chemotherapyinducedalopeciabydocetaxelprevalencetreatmentandprevention
AT mariyamiteva chemotherapyinducedalopeciabydocetaxelprevalencetreatmentandprevention
AT tongyucwikramanayake chemotherapyinducedalopeciabydocetaxelprevalencetreatmentandprevention