THURSDAY, Dec. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) is effective for alopecia in patients with breast cancer, according to a letter to the editor published online Dec. 3 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Devyn Zaminski, from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the safety and effectiveness of LDOM (5 mg or less per day) for alopecia in patients with breast cancer in a retrospective analysis. Fifty-one female patients met the inclusion criteria: 25 received chemotherapy in addition to surgery and/or radiotherapy and 26 underwent surgery and/or radiation alone. All patients took LDOM for at least one month, starting during or after breast cancer treatment.

The researchers found that 29 patients (56.9 percent) experienced 44 side effects, with no significant difference seen in incidence between the groups. Most side effects (61.4 percent) were hypertrichosis; there were no pericardial or life-threatening side effects. Side effects were reported earlier by chemotherapy patients versus those not receiving chemotherapy (median, 97 versus 191 days). After three to six months of taking LDOM, all patients had improvement or stability of alopecia; no significant difference was seen in the effectiveness of LDOM for chemotherapy and nonchemotherapy patients. At six months or longer, three patients in the chemotherapy group reported worsening alopecia, two with corroborating physician assessments. All three patients had previous exposure to taxanes.

"Our results should offer reassurance to breast cancer patients that there is indeed a safe way to combat their hair loss," Zaminski said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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