Doctors at Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, have reported the first documented case of a gray-haired man returning to his natural hair color during cancer treatment. Article published New England Journal of Medicine.
A 51-year-old man with a rare case of chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer, started taking the anticancer drug nilotinib. After 18 months, she told doctors that her hair had started to darken. A few years before starting treatment, the patient turned completely gray.
The man did not start any other new drugs and did not use hair dye products during his cancer treatment. Doctors did not find any signs of pigmentation disorders of the skin or mucous membranes in the patient. Experts have confirmed that the man’s hair has indeed returned to its natural chestnut color. The patient continues treatment with nilotinib, which improves the course of the leukemia.
It is not known what causes gray hair to disappear. It is possible that nilotinib affects melanocytes, the cells that produce the pigment melanin, which gives hair color. Doctors warn against the use of nilotinib for cosmetic purposes, as the drug has less pleasant side effects, including weakness, fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, bone pain, enlarged spleen, stomach pain, and cardiovascular ailments.