cbaker_admin
Fri, 08/28/2020 – 10:30
A study published in JAMA Dermatology found that patients suffering from hair loss following radiation treatment for central nervous system (CNS) or head and neck tumors saw improvements after using topical minoxidil. The medication was used off-label to treat radiation-associated persistent hair loss, with 82% of patients showing at least some improvement. Senior author Mario E. Lacouture, MD, director of the Oncodermatology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, says: “Almost in all instances, there is something that can be done to improve persistent hair loss after radiation and give patients a sense of control.” Approximately 60% of people with CNS tumors and 30% with head and neck cancer receive radiation to the head, and 75%-100% of these patients experience acute hair loss. In the retrospective cohort study involving 71 pediatric and adult patients, 64 developed persistent hair loss after radiotherapy for primary CNS tumors and 7 for head and neck sarcoma. Over a median followup of 61 weeks, 82% of the evaluable patients treated with topical minoxidil (5%) twice daily showed a response. Additionally, of the 25 patients for whom clinical images were available, 16% (4) demonstrated a complete response.
