10/29/2024
Some breast cancer treatments can result in unwanted hair growth during or post-treatment cause by medication side effects, hormonal changes, or other underlying conditions that may have been exacerbated during treatments.
* Medications: Tamoxifen is commonly prescribed to treat hormone receptive-positive breast cancer because it actively blocks estrogen and its ability to cause cancer cells to replicate. Other steroid medications that may be prescribed include prednisone, minoxidil, anabolic steroids, and testosterone.
* Hormonal changes: Lower estrogen levels can disrupt the balance of hormones in the body, causing higher levels of androgens. This condition is known as relative hyperandrogenism and can lead to darker, thicker hair growth that is similar that the body experiences in menopause.
* Other conditions: Hirsutism, hypertrichosis, and trichomegaly are conditions that can be caused by certain treatments, such as EGFR inhibitors and pan-FGF receptor inhibitors, and result in excessive hair growth.
