I am undergoing both chemo and radiation in about a month, and I didn't really get a clear answer from my MO on the percentage probability of hair loss. He did say it was possible to go entirely bald, but didn't share any percentages with me.

I'm having three treatments of chemo using Cisplatin, spaced apart every 21 days. Does anyone have experience with hair loss? Also, I've heard that there is some sort of scalp cooling device that might help prevent or at least mitigate some of the hair loss. I'd just like to hear what others have experienced with hair loss in general from this treatment.

I received Cisplatin and erbitux during my radiation and the only hair I lost was on the nape of neck where the radiation passed through. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing an oral cancer patient with significant hair loss.

Before radiation, I had 3 rounds of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5-fu and lost most of my hair after the first week.

Cathi

Hi Gsunshine

The culprit in hairloss is usually taxotere (or any "taxol" sounding drug) for those undergoing chemotherapy as part of their treatment (ie multiple agents used together in a "cocktail").

In your case, cisplatin used in conjunction with radiation helps make the radiation work better and whilst it is a cytotoxic agent and is certainly used in "cocktails" as chemotherapy, it's use during radiation is not strictly "chemotherapy" so much as "chemoboosting".

There is some hair loss associated with radiation as already stated but only where the radiation hits. Cisplatin is not generally associated with hair loss.

There is always the exception to the rule but I wouldn't be racing out to buy any beanies or wigs right now

I'm like Cathi, and had Taxotere, Cisplatin, and 5-FU with significant hair loss, but not totally, except for a few sprouts, which looked like my head was set on fire with scabs and few hairs, so it was shaven off, but grew back by 6 months more thin, lighter. Radiation was done as mono treatment and caused hair loss in the radiated field, especially the nape of the neck, sides. Then radiation with concurrent Taxotere and Erbitux caused hair loss in the radiated field again, and more thinning. My barber does an excellent job to cut my hair, and would not know of any loss, except for myself. I think my hair is like weed lol.

Cisplatin can possibly cause some hair loss on it's own as indicated as possible "side effects" in some literature, but never heard of any significant losses, and most have a combination of treatments anyway, so it's hard for them to say which really was the cause. I don't think you have to be worried like other cancer treatments causing complete baldness.

The cooling of hands, feet, head, chewing of ice is cyrotherapy to reduce side effects from certain chemo's, such as Mucocitis, hand and foot syndrome, neuropathy, and hair loss, by slowing down the uptake of the chemo in fast dividing cells.

My MO told me straight up you will not lose your hair from my chemo. If you lose any it will be from the radiation. I had rads on my entire neck and half my mouth (tongue - left side) My hair thinned all the way up the left side to my crown and I lost ALL my hair from ear to ear along the back and sides. I only had cisplatin. KLO is right hair loss is likely related to taxol, and rads.

;o)

My husband had the same Cisplatin protocol (3 treatments, 21 days apart, in conjunction with 33 radiation treatments), and he didn't experience any hair loss from the chemo. He did lose all of his facial hair and the hair on the nape of his neck from radiation, though.

I had cisplatin (3 "big bags") and 38 rads. I did lose my hair. My MO said that I might not, but everyone is different. I didn't go completely bald, just had some straggly pieces of hair. I didn't want to get a wig, so I wore scarves in the warm weather and berets when it got cold. I finished my treatments in August, and my hair had pretty much grown back by Frebruary. It also grew back curly, which was sort of interesting.

Interesting variety of hair experiences. I just finished round 1 of TPF induction and was going to go ahead and do a number 2 buzz cutt to just stay ahead of the loss. Maybe I won't lose the hair but still inclined to buzz it anyway :-)

MY MO discused hair loss at great lengths with me as it had been one of my big concerns. She told me cisplatin will not cause hair loss. I also had the 3 big bag method, but the 3rd bag was cancelled. I did not lose any hair. Radiation will cause some hair loss where the radiation beam exits your head. Most of us only had to deal with a small bald spot (size of a nickel or quarter). My MO explain that any chemo given which has an "X" in its name is usually going to cause hair loss.

Most drug information for Cisplatin that I've seen lists hair loss, aka alopecia, as a less common side effect, but most patients say they didn't suffer this side effect who had it as mono treatment, which I did not. I guess like all chemo's, side efects vary with each patient.

http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/cisplatin.aspx

For me cisplatin resulted in no hair loss. Radiation, well that's a different story. I had a straight line of hair loss back of my head from ear to ear. After 23 weeks and a very short hair cut, its finally blending in.

Just wanted to let you all know that I had a friend that used cooling caps during chemo and did not loose hair....called "penguin caps" You wear these cold caps that are cooled to 20-30 below and keeps hair from falling out. She liked the fact that while she couldn't control many things, she would try to look as normal as possible during the treatment. She liked having some parts of her day where she and others could "forget" about the cancer.
It works in about 90% of cases. Older attempts of "cooling caps" had not worked as well, now it's more successful.
Not for everyone, but if anyone thinks they might be interested.....

Very cool... er... in all ways. ;o)

I've never heard of anyone loosing their hair from Cisplatin?

I lost my hair, but I'm not sure if it was from the radiation or the cisplatin.

Most of us lost the hair on the back of our necks due to exit radiation and most loose facial hair due to entry radiation, in fact my whiskers below my chin line never came back but everything else did. Hair loss to my knowledge is not associated with Cisplatin.

I had Cisplatin weekly for 6 weeks. At the end of radiotherapy/chemotherapy treatments my hair had noticeable thinned. During that time when washing or brushing my hair large amounts of hair fell out. My oncologist warned me hair loss from cisplatin was possible.

Karen