Unexpected hair growth induced by gefitinib treatment in two patients with EGFR gene mutation-positive adenocarcinoma of the lung
| Autor: | Kunihiko Yoshimura, Miho Ejima |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Pathology
medicine.medical_specialty Chemotherapy integumentary system business.industry medicine.medical_treatment medicine.disease Outer root sheath EGFR Gene Mutation respiratory tract diseases medicine.anatomical_structure Gefitinib Papulopustular Scalp medicine Adenocarcinoma of the lung Cancer research Adenocarcinoma business medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | 11.1 Lung Cancer. |
| DOI: | 10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.pa4293 |
| Popis: | Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), exerts antitumor effect on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) positive for specific activating mutations of the EGFR gene. Recently, it has been authorized to be used for the treatment of individuals with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with those EGFR mutations. As side effects, it is commonly associated with skin diseases such as papulopustular rashes. Here, we report two cases of NSCLC who have exhibited overt hair growth after initiating treatment with gefitinib. Both cases were male, and had stage IV adenocarcinoma with an in-frame deletion in exon 19 of the EGFR gene. Gefitinib was administered as the first-line chemotherapy, and has achieved complete remission in both cases. Besides the skin rashes, Case 1 experienced hair growth in scalp with more solid, abundant, and much blacker characteristics after several months of treatment. Case 2 noted new hair growth in a previously bald area on the top scalp after four months of gefitinib administration. The unexpected hair growth sustained and reached the plateau thereafter. EGFR is abundantly present in the outer root sheath of the hair follicles and important for hair development and growth. The blockade of signal transduction through EGFR pathway by EGFR-TKIs may result in disruption of the regulation of hair morphogenesis. Thus, the presented cases demonstrate an unique and unexpected side-effect of gefitinib, implying a new possible therapeutic application of the related drugs of EGFR-TKIs for alopecia. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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