Tamoxifen-Induced Female Androgenetic Alopecia in a Patient with Breast Cancer

Analysis of quantitative changes in hair growth during treatment with chemotherapy or tamoxifen in patients with breast cancer: a cohort study

“…The overall clinical presentation of CIA appeared to be similar across participants. 14,35 Yet, considering the wide use of tamoxifen, the data reported are rather limited and partly questionable. 4,34 In contrast to previous findings, no pattern or patchy alopecia was found in this study.…”

“…10 Although tamoxifen is the most commonly used hormonal treatment for breast cancer, little is known about its effect on hair growth. 13,14 The anti-oestrogenic effect of tamoxifen may lead to an artificial shift in the androgenoestrogen ratio; this could explain why tamoxifen-induced hair loss resembles female pattern androgenetic alopecia. 13,14 The anti-oestrogenic effect of tamoxifen may lead to an artificial shift in the androgenoestrogen ratio; this could explain why tamoxifen-induced hair loss resembles female pattern androgenetic alopecia.…”

Hair shaft abnormalities after chemotherapy and tamoxifen therapy in patients with breast cancer evaluated by optical coherence tomography

“…Chemotherapy‐induced alopecia (CIA) normally affects the entire scalp following diffuse hair loss. With tamoxifen therapy, hair loss resembling androgenetic alopecia, and changes in hair structure and colour have been reported 11–13 . Tamoxifen‐induced hair loss appears clinically as visible female pattern alopecia, mainly affecting the crown and frontal scalp 14 .…”

Effect of estrogens on skin aging and the potential role of SERMs

“…A histopathological assessment of rat skin following subcutaneous administration of tamoxifen observed that tamoxifen treatment resulted in the appearance of abnormal hair follicles, epidermal atrophy and increased dermal fi brosis, particularly around the hair follicles (Inaloz et al 2002). There have been reports of tamoxifen treatment causing diffuse thinning of the hair with moderate receding of the frontal hair line (Ayoub et al 1997) and the development of alopecia on the crown, which was reversed when treatment was stopped (Gateley and Bundred 1997). Although alopecia is reported on the data and patient information sheet for proprietary tamoxifen, alopecia is not reported in the datasheets for the generic form of tamoxifen (Gateley and Bundred 1997).…”

“…Further evidence for a stimulatory effect of estrogens on human hair growth comes from the treatment of women with tamoxifen which may result in scalp hair thinning or recession in some women (Gateley and Bundred 1997;Ayoub et al 1997). Likewise, a common treatment-related side effect of aromatase inhibitors, which inhibit the synthesis of estrogen, is scalp hair thinning in women (Buzdar et al 2001;Simpson et al 2004).…”