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. 2020 Sep;6(5):280-282.
doi: 10.1159/000508825. Epub 2020 Aug 5.

Hair Loss in Patients Treated with Vismodegib: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Alessia Villani  1 , Gabriella Fabbrocini  1 , Claudia Costa  1 , Massimiliano Scalvenzi  1
Affiliations

Hair Loss in Patients Treated with Vismodegib: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Alessia Villani et al. Skin Appendage Disord. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Locally advanced basal cell carcinoma had always represented a form of skin cancer which had been difficult to treat until the hedgehog inhibitor vismodegib was approved. This small molecule acts by inhibiting the hedgehog signaling pathway that plays a critical role in the process of tumorigenesis. Although several trials have demonstrated the high efficacy of this drug, different adverse events have been described. Muscle spasms, dysgeusia, weight loss, and alopecia are the adverse events most frequently reported. The objective of this study was to report the incidence of alopecia arising in patients treated with vismodegib, assessing its characteristics, grade of severity, and time of onset.

Keywords: Alopecia; Basal cell carcinoma; Hair loss; Skin cancer; Vismodegib.

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Conflict of interest statement

Alessia Villani, Gabriella Fabbrocini, Claudia Costa, and Massimiliano Scalvenzi have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Diffuse hair loss in a 74-year-old man after 6 months of vismodegib treatment. b Diffuse hair loss with visible hair thinning in a 63-year-old woman after 7 months of vismodegib treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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