Early baldness is significantly linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer in African-American men

This includes diagnosis of more advanced and aggressive disease and diagnosis at an earlier age, according to new research. The study found that African-American males who experienced baldness were 69% more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who were not balding. The probability of high-stage and high-grade prostate cancer increased more than two-fold with frontal baldness, which was over 6 times as common in males affected by the disease before 60 years of age. The researchers were surprised to find that smoking and a particular androgen-metabolism genotype appeared to protect against prostate cancer for subgroups of African-Americans. Prior research has examined a possible association between baldness and prostate cancer, which are both linked to androgen metabolism, with a focus on the genes involved, although results were conflicting. Few studies have centered on associations between baldness, prostate cancer, and androgen metabolism genotypes in African-American men.