Does chemotherapy lead to hair loss?
Patient: I know someone who said he went through 4 - 6 weeks of both radiation and chemotherapy for rectal cancer.  He had surgery and again is having either radiation or chemotherapy, yet, he didn't lose any hair. (he was balding before he started treatments)  How rare is it not to have significant hair loss while undergoing such brutal treatments? Doctor: Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.  Not all chemotherapy and radiation therapy post cancer cause hair loss. It all depends on which chemo drugs are used to treat the cancer that may lead to hair fall or complete hair loss of the body.   Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Smruti Pevekar