Does Radiotherapy Cause Hair Loss?
Radiotherapy does not cause hair loss if it is not applied to the hairy area, that is, the skull. However, if the treatment is applied to the scalp, hair loss may occur. Because radiotherapy is a local treatment method and both its beneficial effects and side effects are related only to the area where the treatment is applied. So, for example, radiotherapy for lung tumors does not cause hair loss, but radiotherapy for brain tumors or some head and neck tumors affecting the scalp may cause hair loss. The shape and degree of hair loss varies depending on the volume and total dose of radiotherapy applied. In cases where the whole brain is irradiated (such as brain metastasis), hair loss may occur in every part of the scalp. In cases where a part of the brain is irradiated (such as primary brain tumors, head and neck tumors), shedding occurs only in that area. Hair loss seen in radiotherapy is often temporary and hair grows back after treatment. In some brain tumors, high radiation doses may be required, and in these cases, hair regrowth may be delayed or, in very rare cases, may not grow at all. It is also common for the color and texture of the hair that grows back after radiotherapy to be different from the original hair.
Radiotherapy can sometimes be applied simultaneously with chemotherapy. Many drugs used in chemotherapy are likely to cause hair loss. In this case, it should be known that this effect is caused by chemotherapy and has nothing to do with radiotherapy.
Read: 0
