Women With Alopecia Exhibit a Higher Risk for Thyroid Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study

December 2013 in “ Journal of Dermatological Science ”

Li Sun, Ming-Tzer Lin, Chih Hsin Muo, Ji An Liang, Fung Chang Sung, Chia Hung Kao

alopecia thyroid cancer Graves' disease Hashimoto thyroiditis autoimmune thyroid diseases

TLDR Women with alopecia may have a higher chance of getting thyroid cancer.

The study, using data from 4,534 Taiwanese women with alopecia and 18,128 controls, found that women with alopecia had a 22% higher risk of developing cancer, which was not statistically significant. However, the risk of thyroid cancer was significantly higher, with a hazard ratio of 2.39. The study did not find a significant link between alopecia and autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves' disease or Hashimoto thyroiditis, suggesting the increased thyroid cancer risk is not related to these conditions. Despite limitations such as potential misclassification and lack of cancer histology data, the results indicate that younger women with alopecia may benefit from more thorough thyroid cancer screenings.

View this study on jdsjournal.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

14 / 14 results

research Androgenetic Alopecia and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

34 citations, June 2013 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Vertex pattern hair loss linked to higher prostate cancer risk.

research Androgenetic Alopecia at Various Ages and Prostate Cancer Risk in an Equal-Access Multiethnic Case-Control Series of Veterans

12 citations, March 2013 in “Cancer Causes & Control”

Early balding, especially frontal, increases prostate cancer risk; more research needed.

research Age-Dependent Associations Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Prostate Cancer Risk

17 citations, February 2013 in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention”

Early balding at 40 increases prostate cancer risk.

research Factors Associated With Female Pattern Hair Loss And Its Prevalence In Taiwanese Women: A Community-Based Survey

33 citations, November 2012 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

FPHL common in Taiwanese women; risk factors include BMI, high glucose, early puberty, fewer childbirths, oral contraceptives, and UV exposure.

research Alopecia Areata Update

85 citations, October 2012 in “Dermatologic Clinics”

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition often starting before age 20, with varied treatment success and a need for personalized treatment plans.

research A Retrospective Study of Thyroid Structural Abnormalities in Alopecia Patients

11 citations, October 2011 in “Dermato-endocrinology”

Many alopecia patients have undetected thyroid abnormalities that can be found through physical exams.

research Male Pattern Baldness and the Risk of Prostate Cancer

38 citations, February 2011 in “Annals of Oncology”

Men who experienced baldness at age 20 may have double the risk of getting prostate cancer.

research Androgenic Alopecia Is Not Useful as an Indicator of Men at High Risk of Prostate Cancer

28 citations, June 2010 in “European Journal of Cancer”

Baldness at age 40 is not linked to a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

research Male Pattern Baldness and Prostate Cancer Risk in a Population-Based Case-Control Study

29 citations, March 2010 in “Cancer epidemiology”

Men who start losing hair at age 30 may have a lower risk of prostate cancer.

research Baldness, Benign Prostate Hyperplasia, Prostate Cancer, and Androgen Levels

30 citations, January 2008 in “The Aging Male”

The study found no link between baldness patterns and androgen levels in men with benign prostate enlargement or prostate cancer.

research Alopecia Areata: Clinical Perspective and an Insight into Pathogenesis

15 citations, April 2003 in “Journal of dermatology”

Alopecia areata causes hair loss due to an immune attack on hair follicles, influenced by genetics and environment.

research Androgens and Human Hair Growth

157 citations, April 1994 in “Clinical endocrinology”

Androgens can cause hair growth in some areas and hair loss on the scalp.

research Patterned Androgenic Alopecia in Women

130 citations, May 1988 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

"Male-pattern" hair loss is common in women, especially after menopause, and doesn't always mean there's a problem with hormone balance.

research Classification of the Types of Androgenetic Alopecia (Common Baldness) Occurring in the Female Sex

666 citations, September 1977 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

Common baldness, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia, is caused by a combination of genetic factors and hormones called androgens.

Related Community Posts Join

6 / 1000+ results

community How is it that golden era bodybuilders kept their hair while blasting gear while in the modern era most are bald? I’m convinced there’s something in our food and water causing MPB to speed up

in Satire 723 upvotes 1 year ago

The conversation is about the difference in hair loss between bodybuilders in the "Golden Era" and modern bodybuilders. Some users speculate that factors such as the types and doses of steroids used, genetics, diet, microplastics, and overall health may contribute to hair loss. Hair loss prevention medication and transplants are mentioned as potential treatments.

community I am a dermatologist with a clinical interest in alopecia. AMA

in Will treatment work for me? 2 years ago

In this conversation, 4990 discussed various treatments for hair loss, including oral minoxidil, PRP, transplan, Jak inhibitors, Dutasteride, Finasteride, Olumiant, Ketoconazole, RU58841, microneedling, baricitinib, and CCCA. They recommended scalp biopsies in unclear cases of DUPA, twice weekly to twice daily shampooing for topical minoxidil users, and two sessions spaced one month apart with follow up at month three to determine the effectiveness of PRP treatment.

community People treat me so different when I was bald compared to my comb over.

in Chat 226 upvotes 1 month ago

The user feels treated better with a comb-over than when bald due to cancer. They are considering a hair transplant and using finasteride and minoxidil for hair loss.

community C’est terrible - at my wits end

in Female 443 upvotes 1 year ago

A 29-year-old woman is experiencing gradual hair thinning since age 15, suspects Androgenic Alopecia, and has tried 5% minoxidil with little success. She has purchased various hair loss treatments including minoxidil, dutasteride, finasteride, and spironolactone, but is cautious about starting them due to potential interactions with her ADHD medication.

community I don't know what happened with me sudden hair loss from 6 months i use dut ,min , vitamin all things but no response

in Progress Pictures 18 upvotes 1 year ago

The person is experiencing sudden hair loss for six months and treatments like dutasteride, minoxidil, and vitamins are not working. Another person suggests the hair loss might not be androgenetic alopecia but could be telogen effluvium or an inflammatory condition.

community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

in Research 692 upvotes 3 months ago

Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

Similar Research

5 / 1000+ results

research Alopecia and Thyroid Disease

January 2008 in “Springer eBooks”

Thyroid disease can cause hair loss and treating thyroid problems might help with hair disorders.

research Thyroid Hormone Action in Epidermal Development and Homeostasis and Its Implications in the Pathophysiology of the Skin

32 citations, March 2021 in “Journal of endocrinological investigation”

Thyroid hormones are important for skin health and changes in them can affect conditions like hair loss and eczema.