Male Pattern Baldness and the Risk of Prostate Cancer

The study involving 669 men, of whom 388 had prostate cancer and 281 did not, found that those with prostate cancer were twice as likely to have experienced male pattern baldness at age 20, with an odds ratio of 2.01 (P=0.0285). However, the specific pattern of hair loss did not predict the development of prostate cancer, nor was there a link between early-onset baldness and an earlier diagnosis or more aggressive prostate cancer. The research suggests an association between early-onset androgenic alopecia and prostate cancer risk, but further investigation is needed to determine if this group would benefit from regular prostate cancer screening or preventive treatment with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. The study did not account for all prostate cancer risk factors but did have a comparable family history of prostate cancer among participants. The authors call for more research to understand the association and report no conflicts of interest.