The Impact of Immunotherapy on Hair Repigmentation in Patients With Thoracic Tumors: A Clinical Observation Based on Trichoscopy
Sitong Jiang, Bo Li, Fan Yang, Haozhen Lv, Xin Nie, Hui Wang, Jianmin Chang, Lin LiABSTRACT
Objective
Whether hair repigmentation during cancer therapy is driven by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) or chemotherapy remains unclear. This study aimed to quantitatively identify the primary driver using a controlled design.
Methods
In this prospective study, 29 patients with thoracic malignancies were divided into an immunotherapy group ( n = 18) and a chemotherapy group ( n = 11). Standardized dermoscopic images were captured before and after treatment. Hair pigmentation was quantified via grayscale analysis.
Results
Grayscale values decreased significantly posttreatment in the immunotherapy group ( p = 0.0008) but not in the chemotherapy group ( p = 0.1427). The magnitude of change (ΔGrayscale) was significantly greater with immunotherapy than with chemotherapy alone (23.5 ± 24.67 vs. 4.32 ± 9.01; p = 0.0065), representing a large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.90).
Conclusion
This controlled study provides quantitative evidence suggesting that immunotherapy, rather than chemotherapy, is closely associated with hair repigmentation. It establishes an objective methodological framework for future investigation of this phenomenon.