
Cancer patient's grey hair ‘turned black gradually' during therapy, study says
Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur (AIIMS Bilaspur), published the study in BMJ Case Reports on June 27. It describes a man in his late 60s who was being treated for metastatic renal cell carcinoma with axitinib, a targeted cancer drug. After six months on the medication, his hair began changing colour.
'The patient observed that the hair on his moustache and scalp, which had previously turned grey due to ageing, turned black gradually, starting from the margins of the hairline on the scalp,' study authors Avita Dhiman, Pravesh Dhiman and Manju Daroach wrote.
Grey hair study
(a) Blackening of moustache hair and (b) blackening of scalp hair. Credit: BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2025.
They added the effect continued to progress over the following months without the use of hair dye or other treatments.
Axitinib belongs to a class of cancer therapies known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which block specific cell signals that promote tumour growth. In this case, researchers believe the drug also triggered melanogenesis, the process that produces melanin, the pigment responsible for hair, skin and eye colour.
'Although several TKIs have been associated with hair repigmentation, this appears to be the first documented case of axitinib-induced hair repigmentation,' the authors wrote.
They point to axitinib's role in blocking signalling pathways linked to pigment production, saying the drug may help protect the cells that produce melanin from damage and promote a key enzyme in melanin synthesis.
The man's hair gradually darkened from the front of his scalp toward the back, with more of the occipital region turning black by the end of the ninth month. Despite the unusual side effect, doctors chose to continue the cancer treatment because the patient was responding well to it.
'Our hair … has some degree of melanin to give it its colour, otherwise it would be white or grey,' explained Dr. Monica Li, clinical assistant professor with the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science at the University of British Columbia, in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
grey hair study
Blackening of hair started from the hairline. Credit: BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2025
'As we get older, stress, certain medications, poor diet, vitamin deficiencies … could decrease how robust hair growth is, but also the colour,' she said. 'That's why as we get older people show gray and white hair, because the melanin production is less.'
Li cautioned, however, that while the case is intriguing, it remains an isolated finding.
'It is a case report, meaning it's a sample size of one,' she said, adding there need to be more reports to confirm if this is 'a consistent observation.'
Li says hair colour changes have been observed with other TKIs, such as sorafenib, and the effect is often temporary, meaning that once the patient stops taking the drug, the hair tends to return to its original state.
The researchers also acknowledge that hair colour changes aren't unheard of with cancer drugs, saying up to 30 per cent of people receiving targeted therapies may notice some kind of pigmentation shift.
While the greying reversal was not the intended goal of treatment, researchers say it's a sign of how certain drugs may influence biological systems far beyond cancer.
'The observation … could have broader implications for understanding their role in non-cancer-related processes, reversing grey hair and developing specific drugs … which may be used to reverse greying of hair,' the authors conclude.
grey hair study
(a) Blackening of hair over the occipital area and (b) follow-up after 2 months revealed that more hair had turned black. Credit: BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2025
But Li emphasized that the drug in question is not something to be taken lightly.
'This is an anti-cancer medication,' she said, warning that there are serious potential side effects, from high blood pressure and diarrhea to rare, but life-threatening events like hypertensive crisis and blood clots.
'We have to understand that in general, medications have their advantages and disadvantages, and all medications have side effects,' Li explained. 'Some are common, some are not so common, but the uncommon ones are devastating and life-threatening.'
She added that while repigmentation may seem like a cosmetic bonus for patients already undergoing cancer treatment, the risks of using such a drug solely for reversing grey hair would far outweigh the benefits.
'We all age and it's totally normal to see changes in the colour of our hair,' Li said. 'We're far, far away from even considering using an anti-cancer medication, just so that we can have hair greying improve.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Globe and Mail
Diabetes Clinical Trial Pipeline Experiences Rapid Expansion as Over 200+ Leading Companies Advance Novel Therapies
DelveInsight's, ' Diabetes Pipeline Insight 2025 ' report provides comprehensive insights about 200+ companies and 200+ pipeline drugs in the Diabetes pipeline landscape. It covers the Diabetes pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and nonclinical stage products. It also covers the Diabetes therapeutics assessment by product type, stage, route of administration, and molecule type. It further highlights the inactive pipeline products in this space. Discover the latest drugs and treatment options in the Diabetes Pipeline. Dive into DelveInsight's comprehensive report today! @ Diabetes Pipeline Outlook Key Takeaways from the Diabetes Pipeline Report In June 2025, Eli Lilly and Company announced a study is to assess the safety of insulin lispro-aabc in adult participants with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in India. The study will last about 33 weeks for each participant, including screening (1 week), Lead-in period (4 weeks), treatment period (26 weeks) and follow up period (2 weeks). DelveInsight's Diabetes pipeline report depicts a robust space with 200+ active players working to develop 200+ pipeline therapies for Diabetes treatment. The leading Diabetes Companies such as vTv Therapeutics, Eli Lilly and Company, Sciwind Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Neurodon, Regor Therapeutics, Abarceo Pharma, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical, Roche, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Kallyope Inc. and others. Promising Diabetes Therapies such as Aspirin, DA-2811, Forxiga, TG103, and others. Stay ahead with the most recent pipeline outlook for Diabetes. Get insights into clinical trials, emerging therapies, and leading companies with DelveInsight @ Diabetes Treatment Drugs Diabetes Emerging Drugs Profile Cadisegliatin: vTv Therapeutics Cadisegliatin, also known as TTP399, is an innovative oral medication developed by vTv Therapeutics, designed as a liver-selective glucokinase activator. It aims to serve as an adjunctive therapy to insulin for individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This drug has been recognized for its potential to improve glycemic control by enhancing hepatic glucose uptake and glycogen storage independently of insulin, addressing a critical need in diabetes management. Currently, the drug is in Phase III stage of its clinical trial for the treatment of Diabetes. LY-3209590: Eli Lilly and Company Insulin efsitora alfa (LY3209590) is a once-weekly basal insulin, a fusion protein that combines a novel single-chain variant of insulin with a human IgG2 Fc domain. It is specifically designed for once-weekly subcutaneous administration, and with its low peak-to-trough ratio, it has the potential to provide more stable glucose levels (less glucose variability) throughout the week. Efsitora is in phase III development for adults with type 1 and 2 diabetes. CT-388: Roche CT-388 is a once-weekly subcutaneous injectable, dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist being developed for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). CT-388 was designed to have potent activity on both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors but with minimal to no ß-arrestin recruitment on either receptor. This biased signaling significantly minimizes receptor internalization and consequent desensitization, which is expected to lead to prolonged pharmacological activity. Currently, the drug is in Phase II stage of its clinical trial for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. HU6: Rivus Pharmaceuticals HU6 is an investigational, first-in-class oral therapy developed by Rivus Pharmaceuticals. It belongs to a new drug class called Controlled Metabolic Accelerators (CMAs), which are designed to selectively increase fat metabolism, leading to fat loss while preserving muscle mass. HU6 works by subtly increasing resting metabolism, specifically by activating a process called mitochondrial uncoupling. This process increases the oxidation of sugars and fats without reducing ATP (energy) production, resulting in the selective reduction of accumulated fat throughout the body. Currently, the drug is in the Phase II stage of development to treat Diabetes. XW014: Sciwind Biosciences XW014 is an oral small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist developed by Sciwind Biosciences for the treatment of obesity and Diabetes (T2D). XW014 functions as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which means it mimics the action of the GLP-1 hormone that is released after meals. This hormone plays a key role in regulating glucose metabolism by stimulating insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon release, and promoting satiety. As an oral small molecule, XW014 offers advantages over traditional peptide-based GLP-1 therapies, such as ease of administration and the potential for combination therapies with other oral medications. Currently, the drug is in Phase I stage of its clinical trial for the treatment of Diabetes. K-833: Kallyope Inc. K-833 is an investigational oral small-molecule developed by Kallyope Inc., designed as a nutrient receptor agonist for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. K-833, often studied in combination with Kallyope's other candidate K-757, targets G-protein coupled receptors (specifically GPR119), which are involved in the release of hormones that suppress appetite and regulate glucose. Currently, the drug is in Phase I stage of its clinical trial for the treatment of Diabetes. The Diabetes Pipeline Report Provides Insights into The report provides detailed insights about companies that are developing therapies for the treatment of Diabetes with aggregate therapies developed by each company for the same. It accesses the Different therapeutic candidates segmented into early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage of development for Diabetes Treatment. Diabetes Companies are involved in targeted therapeutics development with respective active and inactive (dormant or discontinued) projects. Diabetes Drugs under development based on the stage of development, route of administration, target receptor, monotherapy or combination therapy, a different mechanism of action, and molecular type. Detailed analysis of collaborations (company-company collaborations and company-academia collaborations), licensing agreement and financing details for future advancement of the Diabetes market Explore groundbreaking therapies and clinical trials in the Diabetes Pipeline. Access DelveInsight's detailed report now! @ New Diabetes Drugs Diabetes Companies vTv Therapeutics, Eli Lilly and Company, Sciwind Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Neurodon, Regor Therapeutics, Abarceo Pharma, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical, Roche, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Kallyope Inc. and others. The Diabetes pipeline report provides the therapeutic assessment of the pipeline drugs by the Route of Administration. Products have been categorized under various ROAs such as Oral Intravenous Subcutaneous Parenteral Topical Diabetes Products have been categorized under various Molecule types such as, Recombinant fusion proteins Small molecule Monoclonal antibody Peptide Polymer Gene therapy Unveil the future of Diabetes Treatment. Learn about new drugs, pipeline developments, and key companies with DelveInsight's expert analysis @ Diabetes Market Drivers and Barriers Scope of the Diabetes Pipeline Report Coverage- Global Diabetes Companies- vTv Therapeutics, Eli Lilly and Company, Sciwind Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Neurodon, Regor Therapeutics, Abarceo Pharma, Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical, Roche, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Kallyope Inc. and others. Diabetes Therapies- Aspirin, DA-2811, Forxiga, TG103, and others. Diabetes Therapeutic Assessment by Product Type: Mono, Combination, Mono/Combination Diabetes Therapeutic Assessment by Clinical Stages: Discovery, Pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III Get the latest on Diabetes Therapies and clinical trials. Download DelveInsight's in-depth pipeline report today! @ Diabetes Companies, Key Products and Unmet Needs Table of Content Introduction Executive Summary Diabetes: Overview Pipeline Therapeutics Therapeutic Assessment Diabetes– DelveInsight's Analytical Perspective Late Stage Products (Phase III) Cadisegliatin: vTv Therapeutics Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Mid-Stage Products (Phase II) CPL207280: Celon Pharma Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Early Stage Products (Phase I) KN056: Suzhou Alphamab Co., Ltd. Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Preclinical and Discovery Stage Products Drug name: Company name Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Inactive Products Diabetes Key Companies Diabetes Key Products Diabetes- Unmet Needs Diabetes- Market Drivers and Barriers Diabetes- Future Perspectives and Conclusion Diabetes Analyst Views Diabetes Key Companies Appendix About Us DelveInsight is a leading healthcare-focused market research and consulting firm that provides clients with high-quality market intelligence and analysis to support informed business decisions. With a team of experienced industry experts and a deep understanding of the life sciences and healthcare sectors, we offer customized research solutions and insights to clients across the globe. Connect with us to get high-quality, accurate, and real-time intelligence to stay ahead of the growth curve.


CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Reassessing your skincare strategy as summer temperatures ramp up
Video Dermatologist Dr. Geeta Yadev has tips on how to protect your skin from the summer heat.


CBC
15-07-2025
- CBC
Fredericton psychiatrist doesn't fight sexual misconduct allegations
Dr. Manoj Bhargava could lose his medical licence permanently after a disciplinary hearing looks into allegations of sexual misconduct.