(CNN Health) Men who start losing their hair at 20 may be twice as likely to get prostate cancer later in life, a new study suggests.
If men started going bald in their 30s or 40s, the risk did not go up, according to this research.
"'Any type of balding (at age 20) is a risk factor for prostate cancer," suggests Dr. Michael Yassa, lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal, Canada. He says an earlier study suggested that back of the head balding was worse, but this study found any type of balding is a risk factor for prostate cancer.
Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, affects about 50% of men and a link between testosterone and baldness has been established. Likewise, stopping testosterone production is one way prostate cancer is treated. But an actual link between the baldness and prostate cancer has not been established – and this new study published in the cancer journal Annals of Oncology can't do it either. .............(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/15/balding-in-20s-could-hint-at-prostate-cancer-later-in-life/?hpt=T2