| | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) |  Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Radiation will cause hair loss in the back of the head where it exits. Cisplatin normally does not cause hair loss. I expected to lose mine from it so I cut my long hair very short. I got a pleasant surprise when I only had a small round bald spot about the size of a quarter where the radiation exited the back of my head near the base of my skull.
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | | | | | Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 | I had the same TPF IC as Don, and lost all my head, and body hair, fingernails and toenails too, and did not have radiation with it. It's was probably more the Taxotere, and 5-FU, I believe, but will never know. Still, cisplatin can cause hair loss, not that it will. Radiation alone made the hair come out in the radiated field. I didn't have to shave for months, then I had Taxotere, with Erbitux, another time, with radiaion, and hair thinned again, coming out in the shower escoecuakly. Again, I think it was the Taxotere on the top. Radiation slightly on the side. My hair is thinner now, less thick, but my hair stylist knows how to cut it. I'm stil lucky being 52 with head hair lol. Good luck.
10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil
11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp
01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks
06/11 30 HBO
08/11 RND PNI
06/12 SND PNI LVI
08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy
10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux
10/13 SND
10/13 TBO/Angiograph
10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI
12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo
11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO
03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN
09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy
04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site
06/17 Heart Attack Stent
02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 | My MO has warned me that hair loss is a possibility with Cisplatin. Here's a link to info about Cisplatin side effects that he gave me -- it says 10-29% of people will have hair loss: http://www.chemoorders.com/Chemo-Drug-Defs/Cisplatin.html
53
T3N2aM0 HPV+
5/26/13 discovered painless superball-sized lymph node in neck
6/26/13 DX SCC R palatine tonsil
7/16/13 TORS tonsillectomy & selective ND, mets to 2 nodes
9/3/13 Cisplatin and rads begin, tolerated 1.5 of 3 planned chemo doses
10/16/13 Treatment ends
Dec 13 Ulcer appears at surgery site
Jan 17 Biopsy -- no cancer!
Feb 17 CT/PET Scan lights up tonsil bed & nasal cavity, docs say probably inflammation, don't panic, rescan when ulcer subsides
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 | Yes cisplatin doesn't often cause hair loss - you must have had induction chemo - taxotere is the culprit.
Last edited by Cheryld; 08-30-2013 09:06 AM.
Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2013 Posts: 262 | It causes hair loss in more than 10 out of 100 patients, but fewer than 30 out of 100. It is not considered rare.
Last edited by Mamacita; 08-30-2013 11:56 AM.
53
T3N2aM0 HPV+
5/26/13 discovered painless superball-sized lymph node in neck
6/26/13 DX SCC R palatine tonsil
7/16/13 TORS tonsillectomy & selective ND, mets to 2 nodes
9/3/13 Cisplatin and rads begin, tolerated 1.5 of 3 planned chemo doses
10/16/13 Treatment ends
Dec 13 Ulcer appears at surgery site
Jan 17 Biopsy -- no cancer!
Feb 17 CT/PET Scan lights up tonsil bed & nasal cavity, docs say probably inflammation, don't panic, rescan when ulcer subsides
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 | I didn't read this chemo fact sheet, but did with others on cisplatin, which I posted before, same reason, which indicated hair loss to be an "less common" side effect, I believe. That's not rare nor common.
10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil
11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp
01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks
06/11 30 HBO
08/11 RND PNI
06/12 SND PNI LVI
08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy
10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux
10/13 SND
10/13 TBO/Angiograph
10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI
12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo
11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO
03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN
09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy
04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site
06/17 Heart Attack Stent
02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 20 "OCF Canuck" Member | | OP "OCF Canuck" Member
Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 20 | My sister was sucking on candies and now everything stings because of her sore mouth. Any suggestions on types or brands of candy she can try?
supporting my sister age 60, SCC tongue, Stage 1-2,
peg in 8/26/13, 30 rads w/ 3x chemo
begin 8/12/13, end 9/30/13
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,293 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,293 Likes: 1 | Cheryl,
That makes sense based on what the general responses are to hair loss. Nearly all keep hair during chemo-radiation as do the the platinum only chemo patients. It certainly does highlight the taxotere or maybe the 5-FU as the culprit.
I'd not be surprised if a poll of induction TPF chemo patients returns a much higher "lost my hair" response. don
Don Male, 57 - Great health except C Dec '12 DX: BOT SCC T2N2bMx, Stage 4a, HPV+, multiple nodes 1 tooth out Jan '13 2nd tooth out Tumor Board -induction TPF (3 cycles), seq CRT 4-6/2013 CRT 70gr 2x35, weekly carbo150 ended 5/29,6/4 All the details, join at http://beatdown.cognacom.com | | | | | Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 20 "OCF Canuck" Member | | OP "OCF Canuck" Member
Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 20 | After one Chemo and 15 Radiation treatments the lump on the side of my sisters neck is getting bigger, not smaller...Shouldn't this lump be getting smaller by now?
supporting my sister age 60, SCC tongue, Stage 1-2,
peg in 8/26/13, 30 rads w/ 3x chemo
begin 8/12/13, end 9/30/13
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 | It should be shrinking what are they saying about it?
Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
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