Men who begin balding in their early twenties could be twice as likely to develop prostate cancer, according to a study published in the Annals of Oncology.

Androgenic alopecia, or male baldness, affects up to 50% of men at some point during their lives. The male sex hormones androgens have been linked to the development and growth of cancer.

Previous studies have claimed that "increased androgen levels have long been associated with both prostatic carcinoma and baldness" but up until now a direct relationship between male baldness and prostate cancer could not be confirmed. French researchers have recently suggested definite ties between the two, based on their most recent study.

A group of 669 men with and without a history of the cancer were examined as part of the study. Both groups conducted a self-evaluation mapping the progress of the balding and its onset. The researchers' intention was "to analyze the relationship between alopecia at various ages (ages 20, 30 and 40) and the prevalence of prostate cancer […]."

The results showed that any male balding occurring at 20 years of age showed a much higher risk of the disease later in life. It was suggested that the drug finasteride could be administered as a preventive treatment in the future; it is currently already being used "for hair regrowth and to treat benign prostate tumours."

"Finasteride blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, the active metabolite of testosterone, slowing the progression of androgenic alopecia and decreasing the incidence of prostate cancer," the researchers confirm.

An increased risk of cancer was not recorded amongst men who began balding at ages 30 or 40. Also, the patterns and intensity of balding were not relevant for the development of the cancer.

This study gives us a better understanding of some of the risk factors of prostate cancer. Such research could be vital in identifying a group of men who may be at risk and making it possible for them to be "screened decades before the average age of onset for the disease, and offered preventive treatment."

Sources:

Wendy Demark-Wahnefried et al., "Early Onset Baldness and Prostate Cancer Risk," Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Mar. 2000, 17. Feb. 2011
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/9/3/325.abstract

Hannah Devlin, "Drug could tackle cancer and baldness," The Times, 16 Feb. 2011, 17 Feb. 2011

M.Yassa et al., "Male pattern baldness and the risk of prostate cancer," The Annals of Oncology, 15 Feb. 2011, 17 Feb. 2011
http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/01/25/annonc.mdq695.full