PharmD Info

i am 57 year old man diagnosed with colon cancer and i have been taking a combination of drugs. will all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss ?

Chemotherapy drugs are power full medication that attack the rapidly growing cancer cells unfortunately these drugs also attack other rapidly growing cells in your body - including those in your hair roots chemotherapy may causes hair loss all over the body.

No, not all chemotherapy drugs will cause hair loss. There are some drugs which rarely cause cancer.

There are many different types of chemotherapy, and you may receive different strengths of chemo depending on your age, mode of treatment and outcomes.

Common chemotherapy drugs that rarely cause hair loss include methotrexate, carmustine, paraplatin, mitomycin C, fludarabine.

However, it depends on the kind of chemotherapy treatment you are receiving. So, if you re receiving a combination of drugs, there are some drugs that will cause hair loss and some drugs that won't cause hair loss.

Reference:https://cancer.livebetterwith.com/blogs ... -hair-loss

Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over the body, not just the scalp but also eyelashes, eyebrows, armpit hair and other body hair. But not all the chemotherapy drugs causes this.

Infact the hair loss due to this is mostly temporary.Permanent hairloss is a result of radiation therapy.

The hair loss can be due to:
1. Dose of chemotherapy
2. How often the chemotherapy is given
3. The route of administration
4. The drugs or combination of drugs you receive

Most common drugs that cause hair loss are:
Adriamycin ,Cytoxan or Neosar, Taxol , Taxotere, Cerubine, Ellence, VePesid, Hexalen, Idamycin

Reference: https://www.verywellhealth.com

Yes, hair loss is a side effect caused by chemotherapy drugs but not common in all cases.

An estimated 65% of patients undergoing classic chemotherapy experience hair loss (alopecia).
Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body — not just on your scalp.

Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely than others to cause hair loss, and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning to complete baldness.