Table. Baseline Characteristics of Female Patients With Cancer With Alopecia After Cytotoxic Chemotherapy.
| Baseline Characteristic | pCIA (n = 98) | EIAC (n = 94) | P Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (range), y | 56.5 (18-83) | 56 (29-84) | .90 |
| Race/ethnicity, No. (%) | |||
| White | 73 (75) | 70 (75) | >.99 |
| Other | 25 (26) | 24 (26) | |
| Primary cancer diagnosis, No. (%) | |||
| Breast | 79 (81) | 89 (95) | .002 |
| Hematologic | 6 (6) | ||
| Ovarian | 2 (2) | 3 (3) | |
| Other (central nervous system, solid, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, or respiratory tract) | 11 (11) | 2 (2) | |
| Therapies, No. (%)b | |||
| Taxane-based chemotherapy | Taxanes, 80 (82) Paclitaxel, 47/80 (59) Docetaxel, 31/80 (39) Combination, 2/80 (2) |
Aromatase inhibitors, 58 (62) Letrozole, 32/58 (55) Anastrozole, 21/58 (36) Exemestane, 5/58 (9) |
NA |
| Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil | 13 (13) | SERM, 27 (29) Tamoxifen, 26/27 (96) Toremifene, 1/27 (4) |
NA |
| Other (busulfan, vincristine, carboplatin, lomustine, and doxorubicin) | 5 (5) | Other (leuprolide, fulvestrant), 9 (10) | NA |
| Time with alopecia after chemotherapy completion (pCIA) and after initiation of endocrine therapy (EIAC), median (range), y | 2.0 (0.5-27.3) | 1.0 (0.1-5.3) | |
| Clinical characteristics, No. (%) | |||
| Patients | 75 (77) | 92 (98) | .04 |
| Pattern alopecia (androgenetic alopecia-like pattern) | 44/75 (59) | 69/92 (75) | |
| Diffuse alopecia | 31/75 (41) | 23/92 (25) | |
| Alopecia severity by CTCAE v4.0, No. (%)c | |||
| Grade 1 | 46/75 (61) | 80/92 (87) | <.001 |
| Grade 2 | 29/75 (39) | 12/92 (13) | |
| Eyebrow or eyelashes alopecia, No. (%) | 28/75 (37) | 26/92 (28) | .25 |
| Trichoscopy characteristics | |||
| Patients, No. (%) | 45 (46) | 62 (66) | |
| Hair thickness, mean (SD), μm | 62 (13) | 68 (13) | .02 |
| Hair density, mean (SD), per cm2 | 104 (48) | 116 (35) | .14 |
| Hair shafts per follicular unit, mean (SD), No. | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: CTCAE v4.0, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0; EIAC, endocrine therapy–induced alopecia after chemotherapy; NA, not applicable; pCIA, persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia; SERM, selective estrogen receptor modulators.
Comparisons of pCIA and EIAC were performed using t test and Fisher exact test.
Patients with EIAC had full hair regrowth after cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Grade 1 is hair loss of less than 50% of normal for that individual and is not obvious from a distance but only on close inspection; it does not require camouflage. Grade 2 is hair loss of 50% or more of normal for that individual and is readily apparent to others; camouflage is necessary if the patient desires, and it is associated with negative psychosocial effects.