ABSTRACT
Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies are mainly used in the treatment of advanced stages of solid tumors as a targeted therapy to inhibit tumor proliferation. They cause many dermatological adverse reactions through inhibition of EGFR pathway in the skin. A 39-year-old female patient diagnosed with metastatic colon adenocarcinoma received oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and folinic acid regimen with cetuximab. The patient noticed increase in fairy hair especially at facial area as well as in the whole body beginning after the first few cycles of treatment, after 3 months. Obvious hypertrichosis, androgenic alopecia, and trichomegaly were observed. Blood tests for androgenetic alopecia and hirsutism were studied. Hormonal levels were in normal range. Upper abdominal imaging to rule out any adrenal lesion was also normal. Previous studies reported found that cetuximab may cause alopecia, hypertrichosis on face and body, and trichomegaly. We have not encountered a combination of hypertrichosis, androgenic type alopecia, and trichomegaly in the literature
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To introduce 2 cases of trichomegaly associated with the use of systemic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer. CASE SUMMARY: An 82-year-old female visited our clinic for ocular pain in both eyes. She was suffering from metastatic lung cancer and was under daily treatment with gefitinib (Iressa(R), AstraZeneca, London, UK) for 6 months. On ophthalmologic examination, she presented with abnormally elongated eyelashes, hyperemic conjunctiva and dense corneal erosion. A 52-year-old male who was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer 7 months before and treated with erlotinib (Tarceva(R) OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Melville, NY, USA) was referred to our clinic for injection and foreign body sensation in both eyes. Although there were no remarkable changes in eyelashes at the initial visit, long, curly, uneven eyelashes were observed after 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the increased use of EGFR inhibitors in anti-cancer treatment, ophthalmologists should be aware of these chemotherapeutics' adverse effects.