Third Recurrence and concerns about Taxotere

Suefish

Left breast lumpectomy in 2002, right breast lumpectomy in 2006 and now a left breast DCIS in several places with small E+ tumour.  Mastectomy with reconstruction (lat dorsi) and I really love my new boob!  But oncotype dx testing showed a high risk of recurrence so am having Taxotere.  However...reading press both in UK and USA there definitely seems some controversy about the possibility of permanent hair loss.  Can anyone give me their advice/opinion??

Beeb75

I finished Taxotere 18 months ago and my hair has returned exactly as it was before -- very thick & fast-growing. My onc also told me she'd never seen permanent hair loss from Taxotere and she's a breast onc at a major cancer center. Just my experience!

DiDel

Suefish -- sorry you find yourself in the trenches once again...I did 4 rounds of TC and my hair grew back very fast and thick...except for on top BUT my hairdresser said that I had lots of damage in those follicles from trying to be a natural blonde for many years . Also, I am on Tamoxifen which impedes hair regrowth (Herceptin does also)

I know that some her on BCO have had problems growing their hair back but I think their were other factors involved. I am sure its extremely rare that you hair will not grow back.

Taxotere is just the beast to knock cancer on its A$$!!

Good luck with treatments!

Diane

ETA (when I said the top of my head I mean the front..like my bang area..not the entire top of my head)

SpecialK

I had Taxotere, TCH X6, hair came back and fast growing as before.  My onc said is 15 years of practice only one patient did not have hair return.

bethen

I have had Taxotere twice.  The first time was in 2005 during my first diagnosis and the second time was in 2009 when the cancer came back in a lymph node in the pectoral muscleon my mastectomy and radiated side.  Both times my hair completely grew back again with no problems, it even grew heavier in places that I did not want it to.  Go figure! haha !

Betsy

LRM216

I had taxotere and I do have to say that, although my hair looks ok to the public, it definitely did not come back as it was prior to chemo.  It is much thinner than it ever was; HOWEVER, I do have to add that I was 62 when I went through treatment and my 88 year old mom did have some thinning to her hair beginning in her 60's so this is possibly something that would have happened to me with or without BC - I'll never know.  I keep it short (see avatar), but it definitely is thinner in the crown area and the top of my hair.  Just takes me so much longer to style because of the thinner areas as I never did have the type of hair that I could just wash, blow out and go.  Always have to tease it now in certain areas to appear fuller.  Since I did have taxotere, I always wonder if it was because of the drug, but could just be genetics in my case. 

Want to wish you all the best, and I am so sorry that you have to go through even more to kick this beast to the curb.  I hate this disease with a passion.  God bless,

Linda

Lauriesh

I am someone that did have permanent hair loss with taxotere. It has been a year and a half and I still look bald on the top of my head.



I have read that the risk is around 3-6 percent.



I was 42 when I had it , and am er-, so not on hormonals, which can also cause thinning, etc.



Laurie

208sandy

I had taxotere in 2008 and four years later hair still hasn't grown back on crown or in front (bang area) - in fact for three years I had very little hair growth - things are a trifle better now - seems like it takes around three years for some of us to recover from the rads, chemo whatever - my stamina is back, my nails are finally growing like crazy and my skin feels better (not so dry and fragile) just wish researchers could come up with treatments that aren't so devastating.....

Angelfalls

I did 4 x Taxotere 9 years ago and my hair came back just as thick and straight as it was before. Hope the same will be true for you, too. Good luck with your tx.

Laural136669

I did chemo for ALL and MDS over the years, loosing hair at least partially 5 times over the course of 24 years. The Taxotere caused every hair to fall out. It has come back thick, gray, and curly after having been gray and straight for many years. I still only have a few stray eyebrows though and am 6 months out from the last treatment. 

Suefish

Thank you so much for the really helpful responses.  I understand permanent hair loss is unusual.  I have just spoken to chemo nurse - a lovely Philipino nurse who I got to know the last time around.  He said he had also never heard of hair not growing back...so just keeping fingers crossed.  I am in UK and the weather here is matching my mood today...grey and overcast.  Portacath in tomorrow but no chemo until my breast wound heals.  XX

curveball

My onc has also advised TC. I had heard about the possibility of permanent hair loss and researched online. Via a series of links which I have posted in another thread, I found information provided by the manufacturer of Taxotere to Health Canada. Breast cancer clinical trial results included in this information say that 22 of the 687 patients treated with a combination regimen including taxotere experienced persistent hair loss. That is about 3%. I have also seen the 6% figure online but don't remember where and never did find the source. I don't know whether other chemo drugs have also been known to cause baldness. I looked up the 3 drugs for another frequently-used regimen in the same Health Canada database, and none of those brochures said anything about permanent hair loss.

I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do other than I will ask the Dr F what other chemo options I have, and if necessary request a 2nd opinion from another onc.