For women undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer, Taxotere (docetaxel) is a commonly used drug. The chemotherapy drug is less often used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer, advanced stomach cancer and head and neck cancer.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy as a cancer treatment expect that they will lose their hair during the treatment. However, they also expect at some point after they are done that their hair will grow back. With chemotherapy hair loss caused by Taxotere, however, that may not be the case.

What Causes Chemotherapy Hair Loss?

Chemotherapy patients can experience hair loss as one of several Taxotere side effects shortly after their first treatment. Hair loss occurs because the chemotherapy agent is designed to target rapidly dividing cells in the body. Since the drug does not discriminate between healthy cells and cancerous cells, all rapidly-growing cells are targeted in the body.

Your hair follicles contain some of the most rapidly growing cells in your body, so these cells are often affected. Hair loss is most obvious on a person’s head, which is also where hair grows the fastest, but a person can lose hair anywhere on the body, including the face arms, legs and pubic area. Generally, patients are told their hair will regrow 3 to 10 months after treatment is complete.

Taxotere Side Effects

Most Taxotere side effects only affect patients as they are actively undergoing treatment for cancer and for a short time period after. Side effects include:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fingernail or toenail changes
• Hair loss
• IV injection site reactions
• Loss of appetite
• Missed menstrual periods
• Muscle pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weakness

Chemotherapy hair loss as one of the many Taxotere side effects is one that can be permanent. So far, there has been no way to determine which patients will regrow hair fully, partially, or not at all following Taxotere treatment.

Impact of Chemotherapy Hair Loss

Despite patients hearing or telling themselves “It’s only hair. It will grow back.” Hair loss can be one of the most traumatic and distressing aspects of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Losing hair can impact self-esteem, raise negative feelings about physical appearance, cause body image issues and can impact sexuality. It can also deprive patients of their privacy, since a bald head, especially on a woman, is associated with having cancer.

The challenges, for many, get easier to manage or accept at some point as time passes. Patients may shave their head in anticipating, allowing them to gain a sense of control over the situation. Some may choose to get a wig that was close to their hair color and style so they can be less noticed in public and not feel like the target of stares. Others may see their bald head as a badge of honor, displaying it proudly for the strength of overcoming adversity that it represents.

A big part of getting through the hair loss for many is keeping it in their minds that “Its only temporary.” Doctors tell patients this to give them hope and to encourage them that they will be able to handle it.

However, for a number of patients, having permanent chemotherapy hair loss from Taxotere side effects is not what they had anticipated. Some women have claimed that they would have chosen another cancer therapy route had they been informed that Taxotere hair loss could be permanent.

Filing a Taxotere Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit

In December 2015, the manufacturer of Taxotere, Sanofi-Aventis, updated the label on the drug to indicate that permanent hair loss has been reported. However, it has been suspected that the manufacturer knew about the risk for years but chose not to warn consumers.

When it was discovered out that the label was updated in Europe to reflect permanent hair loss from Taxotere, but not in the U.S., this confirmed suspicions and added more fuel to the fire.

A class action lawsuit investigation is currently being conducted into Sanofi-Aventis’ alleged failure to warn about the permanent hair loss side effects. Patients have the right to be fully informed to consent to their treatment, and withholding information about side effects is against the law.

If you or a loved one has experienced permanent chemotherapy hair loss following treatment using Taxotere, you may be entitled to legal compensation. An experienced attorney can review your case for free and can help explain the legal options that are available to you.