What Causes Hair Loss in Cancer Patients?

Chemotherapy is a drug therapy used to target and kill the body's rapidly dividing cells. Because cancer is caused by abnormal, uncontrolled cell growth, these cells are particularly receptive to chemotherapy medication. Unfortunately, the drug cannot differentiate between abnormal cells and healthy cells and destroys all cells that are dividing rapidly. Since hair follicles divide every one to three days, they are among the fastest growing cells in the body. Some lucky people don't experience total hair loss from chemotherapy, but nearly everyone's hair is affected to some degree. Radiation treatment also affects hair follicles and causes hair loss, but only if radiation is used on the head to treat brain cancer. If radiation is used to treat breast cancer, the hair on your head will not be affected. When very high dosages of radiation are used on the head, it is possible that hair will not grow back in the treated areas.

Methotrexate, also known as CMF, may cause hair to get thinner in some people, but it does not usually cause complete hair loss. Adriamycin, commonly called CAF, usually produces complete hair loss, with loss usually occurring in the first few weeks after treatment begins. Taxol can cause complete and sudden hair loss, with hair loss extending to arm hair, leg hair, pubic hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. The amount of hair loss caused by 5-fluorouracil and Cytoxan varies, with some people only losing a small amount of hair and others experiencing more hair loss.

When you receive chemotherapy can affect how much hair you lose. If you only undergo treatment once a month, you will be given a higher dosage of chemotherapy drugs and lose more hair than if you receive smaller doses more frequently. The dosage is also important in hair loss caused by radiation therapy.

In most cases, hair will start growing shortly after you finish chemotherapy treatment. After two or three weeks, you can expect to see a soft fuzz appear on your head, followed by some hair growth a few weeks after that. When two months have passed, you will probably have an inch or more of hair. The new hair may be a different color or texture than your old hair or it may now be curly or straight, but it will most likely eventually return to its original condition and color. The hair on your head will grow back faster before you see regrowth of your eyelashes or eyebrows. If you have had lower dosages of radiation treatment, you can expect hair to grow back in about 3 to 6 months.

Your hair loss can be upsetting to your family members too, particularly children. If you expect to lose hair, it may be a good idea to prepare your children and other family members ahead of time. Psychologists recommend presenting an age-appropriate explanation to younger children, explaining that a medication you are taking to make you get better will make your hair fall out. Your children may like to help you select hats, scarves or wigs if you plan on using these items.