Permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia: case report and review of the literature.

Reversible alopecia following chemotherapy is well recognized and typically not evaluated by dermatologists. However, there are an increasing number of reports of permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, typically following high-dose chemotherapy and subsequent bone marrow transplantation. We describe an unusual case of permanent alopecia in a patient who received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast carcinoma, and not a conditioning regimen before bone marrow transplantation. A unique histologic finding of replacement of anagen hair follicles by linear columns of basaloid epithelium is reported. We review the clinical and histologic findings of permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia and speculate on its pathogenesis. Copyright 2009 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.