A woman has filed a lawsuit against the maker of breast cancer chemo drugs that she alleges left her permanently without hair.

Plaintiff Christine D. says she was treated with Taxotere (docetaxel) from May 4, 2012 through Aug. 6, 2012. As a result, her complaint says she has suffered “permanent hair loss (alopecia) with thinning eyebrows and eyelashes.”

Sanofi Aventis makes Taxotere, which has been marketed as a superior choice for women fighting breast cancer. Taxotore’s advertising boasted that because it is a stronger, more potent choice among the taxane breast cancer chemo drugs, that it was more effective.

According to the master complaint of the Taxotere multidistrict litigation, the August 2007 Cancer Treatment Reviews journal published the results of a study that “found no significant differences in the efficacy and outcomes obtained with Taxotere or Taxol (paclitaxel) in breast cancer treatment.”

The MDL also notes a 2008 study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found “Taxol (paclitaxel) was more effective than Taxotere for patients undergoing standard adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide.”

Hair Loss from Breast Cancer Chemo Drugs

According to the breast cancer chemo drugs MDL, most women consider hair loss to be one of the most traumatic side effect of chemotherapy treatments. The DML says one study indicates 58 percent of women say alopecia (even if it’s temporary) is one of “the most disturbing anticipated side effect.”

Women with cancer who experience hair loss from breast cancer chemo drugs “may experience a loss of sense of femininity, sexuality, attractiveness, self-confidence, and womanhood,” alleges the Taxotere MDL.

According to the complaint, body image rarely returns to pre-treatment levels even when a woman’s hair does grow back. The negative thoughts and feelings these women suffer tend to endure.

Women suffering permanent hair loss from breast cancer chemo drugs often avoid social situations because they don’t want to be treated differently than when they had hair. A study of cancer survivors revealed 75 percent said they had received silent stares from other people, a socially awkward situation they blamed on their “cancer appearance.” Some women said they knew friends avoided contact in public places with them.

According to studies, anywhere from 3 percent to 9 percent of Taxotere patients may suffer from permanent hair loss. The loss of hair on the head, inside the nose, eyelashes, eyebrows, even ear hair, can place women at risk of permanent injuries because all of these areas generally have hair to protect against injuries to organs and mucous membranes.

Sanofi is accused of misleading both doctors and the public by saying for years that patients’ hair would grow back after Taxotere just as it does after other chemo treatments.

The Breast Cancer Chemo Drugs Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-06853-JTM-MBN, and is part of the Taxotere MDL, In re: Taxotere (docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL. No. 2740, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.