Does the fact that my father has not lost his hair this time mean the cherotherapy is less effective?
Pandora asked...
My father has metastatic prostate cancer to bones, stomach, and lymph nodes. He lost his hair with the first round of chemotherapy with taxotare. He is currently in his 5th treatment of the second round, which means 15 weeks into it and has not lost his hair this time. Does that mean the chemotherapy is less effective this time?
Expert Answer
Andrew Putnam, M.D. is a Palliative Care physician at Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale University.
The question of hair loss and the effectiveness of chemotherapy are 2 different things. If your father is not losing his hair, it does NOT necessarily mean that the chemotherapy is any less effective than it was before.