Chemotherapy alopecia with

A related anthracenedione, mitoxantrone, has been approved for use in AML. Mitoxantrone has limited ability to produce quinone-type free radicals and causes less cardiac toxicity than does doxorubicin. It produces acute myelosuppression, cardiac toxicity, and mucositis as its major toxicities the drug causes less nausea and vomiting and alopecia than does doxorubicin. It is also used as a component of experimental high-dose chemotherapy regimens, with uncertain efficacy. 

Provide patient education regarding common toxicities associated with chemotherapy, such as nausea/vomiting, mucositis, myelosuppression, and alopecia. 

Oxidative stress reduces the rate of cell proliferation, and that occurring during chemotherapy may interfere with the cytotoxic effects of antineoplastic drugs, which depend on rapid proliferation of cancer cells for optimal activity. Antioxidants detoxify ROS and may enhance the anticancer effects of chemotherapy. For some supplements, activities beyond their antioxidant properties, such as inhibition of topoisomerase II or protein tyrosine kinases, may also contribute. ROS cause or contribute to certain side effects that are common to many anticancer drugs, such as gastrointestinal toxicity and muagenesis. ROS also contribute to side effects that occur only with individual agents, such as doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Antioxidants can reduce or prevent many of these side effects, and for some supplements the protective effect results from activities other than their antioxidant properties. Certain side effects, however, such as alopecia and myelosuppression, are not prevented... 

In common with most cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, general side-effects include bone marrow suppression (causing reductions in white cell count, platelets and haemoglobin in particular), nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, stomatitis and alopecia. 

Apart from the standard general toxicities associated with cytotoxic chemotherapy such as bone marrow suppression, nausea, diarrhoea, stomatitis and alopecia, other drug-specific toxicities may occur, including the following. 

Induction chemotherapy for acute myelocytic leukemia was initiated in a hospitalized 29-year-old male patient. Seven days later he developed a fever with cough and abdominal pain. An indwelling central catheter had been in place for a week, hut there was no fliictuance or tenderness at the catheter site. The patient had painful mucosal ulcerations, significant alopecia, and his white cell count was 200/pL The lungs and chest were clear, and the abdomen nwi. soft and nontender. Blood... 

Sato N, Leopold PL, Crystal RG (2001) Effect of adenovirus-mediated expression of Sonic hedgehog gene on hair regrowth in mice with chemotherapy-induced alopecia. J Natl Cancer Inst 93(24) 1858-1864... 

Jayde V, Boughton M, Blomfield P. The experience of chemotherapy-induced alopecia for Australian women with ovarian cancer. Eur J... 

Lemieux, J., Maunsell, E. Provencher, L. (2008). Chemotherapy-induced alopecia and effects on quality of life among women with breast cancer a literature review. Psycho. Oncology., 77(4), 317-328. 

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