Abstract
Damage and loss of hair (alopecia) is a predictable, from a patients point view a feared, adverse event of oncological therapy. They may be caused by chemotherapy (especially risky anthracyclines and taxanes, high-dose chemotherapy), radiotherapy in head area, or eventually by targeted therapy (especially vismodegib, vemurafenib and sorafenib) and hormonal therapy (tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors).
Hair loss can be diffused, complete, partial or regional. Hair quality worsening, cutaneous inflammation and scarring may also occur.
Hair loss may also affect eyelashes, eyebrows and hair on the body. Alopecia is mostly reversible, but permanent damage may also occur depending on the type, overall length and dose of oncology treatment and some other individual factors.
There are possibilities of prevention and treatment of alopecia, their effectiveness and availability is limited. Physical methods with a possible protective effect include cap cooling, the pharmacological effect is observed i.e. in minoxidil, surgical transplantation methods can also be used.
Abnormal hair growth, hirsutism, and trichomegaly are observed in EGFR inhibitors, colour and quality changes in sunitinib, pazopanib and BRAF inhibitors therapy.