• Dennis Thompson
• Posted August 6, 2025

Fear Of Hair Loss Might Cause Some To Reject Cancer Treatment

Needless fear of hair loss and brittle, discolored nails caused by cancer treatment might lead many patients to avoid or delay life-saving treatment, a new pilot study says.

Many people misunderstand how common these side effects are during cancer treatment, according to findings published in the August issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

As a result, some say they are inclined to refuse treatment.

For example, more than half (52%) of people surveyed believed that cancer treatment definitely causes hair loss.

Further, one-third said the fear of permanent hair loss might make them refuse cancer treatment.

But prior studies have found that only about half of cancer patients experience hair loss during classic chemotherapy, and less than 15% among those given targeted chemo, researchers said.

“These findings show how powerful fear and misunderstanding can be,” senior researcher Dr. Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at George Washington University, said in a news release. “We need better education and support to help patients make informed choices.” 

For the study, researchers surveyed 77 people attending two health fairs in southeast Washington, D.C., the most medically underserved part of the city. About 31% of the participants had been previously treated for cancer.

Only about half of the cancer survivors needed to visit a dermatologist for side effects that occurred during treatment.

Nevertheless, fear surrounding these side effects caused many who had never had cancer to admit reluctance regarding treatment.

About 1 in 4 people said they might refuse cancer treatment due to concerns over temporarily losing their eyebrows or eyelashes (27%) or developing permanent nail discoloration (24%).

“Addressing this knowledge gap is critical, especially given that up to one-third of respondents, including individuals who had previously undergone cancer treatment, reported they would hypothetically decline anti-cancer therapy due to various dermatologic side effects,” researchers concluded.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more on chemotherapy side effects.

SOURCES: George Washington University, news release, Aug. 1, 2025; Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Aug. 1, 2025