Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Androgenetic Alopecia and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
February 2013
TLDR Hair loss at the top of the head is linked to prostate cancer, but other types of hair loss are not.
In 2013, Amoretti and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of seven case-control studies involving 8994 patients (4078 cases and 4916 controls) to investigate the hypothesized link between androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and prostate cancer. They found a statistically significant association between vertex baldness (hair loss at the top of the head) and prostate cancer. However, no significant association was found between AGA, regardless of the pattern of hair loss, and prostate cancer. This led to further questions about why only vertex baldness was linked to prostate cancer, indicating a need for additional studies.
