Men who show hair loss or early signs of baldness may be at an increased risk of dying from prostate cancer.
A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that male-pattern baldness may be linked to an increased risk for prostate cancer.
The study involved more than 4,000 U.S. men between the ages of 25 and 74. Participant’s medical records were analyzed and assessed by a dermatologist and were placed into categories including not balding, minimal balding, moderate balding or severe balding.
The results showed that men who experienced moderate balding were 83 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer.
Men with any type of hair loss were 56 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer over a 21-year period, compared with men who had no signs of balding or hair loss.
Researchers say that it could be due to the amount of male hormones, such as testosterone, but they cannot determine a cause-and-effect relationship between baldness and prostate cancer.
Men with male-pattern baldness may have higher levels of testosterone that is believed to play a role in both male-pattern baldness and prostate cancer.
In prostate cancer, testosterone is known to be one of the factors that drives the growth of the disease. This is why men with a prostate cancer recurrence benefit from androgen-deprivation therapy, because it cuts off testosterone production and slows the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Could it be DHT Dihydrotestosterone? DHT is the male hormone found in hair follicles and is linked to hair loss. DHT is also found in the prostate and helps the organ gland properly. Prior research had shown a link between baldness and prostate cancer. In fact researchers from Harvard Medical School have previously reported that men with baldness may be 1.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer, compared to men without baldness.
Could male pattern baldness one day be used as an indicator for prostate cancer risk? Researchers first need to prove that baldness is a valuable factor in predicting a man’s risk for prostate cancer.
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