The Link Between Taxotere And Permanent Hair Loss
Taxotere and Chemotherapy
One of the main side effects from chemotherapy is hair loss due to the drugs used. Taxotere is a drug proven to cause significant hair loss in most of the patients who use this drug. The hair loss associated with this drug is significant because it can be permanent. Three to fifteen percent of all individuals who take Taxotere experience permanent hair loss – more info can be easily found on: Can Taxotere cause me to suffer permanent hair loss? The severity ranges from inconsistent growth to patchy to complete baldness.
The Reason Taxotere Causes Hair Loss
Chemotherapy drugs work because they attack the cell division in the body. Tumors consist of masses of cancerous cells, and these cells uncontrollably divide and grow. To combat this, Taxotere targets DNA replication which is cell division’s first step. The problem is it is not possible to simply target the cancerous cells. Taxotere cannot tell the difference between an aggressive cell and a healthy cell, so all the cells within the body are affected. One of the bodies quickest growing cells are hair follicles. This means they are attacked by the Taxotere. Although these cells are generally able to repair themselves, when the follicles are permanently and badly damaged, the hair is unable to regrow.
The Link Between Taxotere and Hair Loss
When Taxotere first became available in the United States market, there was no mention of permanent hair loss being a possible side effect by the Food and Drug Administration or FDA. There were numerous lawsuits who alleged the risks were apparent a lot earlier, and these risks had already been made available to the patients and physicians in Canada and Europe. The FDA added a statement to the label for Taxotere in December of 2015 that there were reported cases of permanent alopecia, or hair loss. It was further stated normal hair growth would return in most cases. Despite the warning on the label, many victims affected by hair loss are struggling for recognition, and want to be taken seriously. There is ample evidence through studies permanent hair loss can result from the use of Taxotere. When the drug was originally prescribed, most of the patients and physicians were unaware of this fact. The side effects list on the official list at that time did not include a permanent loss of hair. Even a current list of common side effects from Taxotere does not include permanent hair loss. A common side effect is defined as any condition occurring in one to ten percent of the patients using the drug. Since three to fifteen percent of Taxotere users do experience permanent loss, they do not understand why it was not mentioned on the list.
The Clinical Trials for Taxotere
Clinical trials are a part of the FDA process for all drugs. There were 1,060 women suffering from breast cancer included in the trials last phase. This trial started during the mid-1990’s. The follow-up lasted ten years, and indicated 9.2 percent of these women has experienced permanent hair loss from Taxotere. Another study showed 3.9 percent of 744 women were still struggling with permanent hair loss eight years after they had finished their treatment. The company did not publish these side effects, or make the information available to physicians.
