ATLANTA, GA USA (UroToday) - Is there an association between male baldness and prostate cancer? In men, male pattern baldness is very common, with nearly 75% of men over age 40 experiencing some degree of baldness.
The Canadian research group reported on a prospective study of 196 male patients referred to prostate biopsy with a median age of 64 (59-70) and a media PSA of 5.8 (4.1-8.4). Of this group 109 patients (55%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Four types of baldness were self assessed by the patient: frontal balding, mild vortex, moderate vortex and severe vortex. Researchers concluded severe balding was more strongly associated with prostate cancer. The research group is now doing further studies with a larger study group to assess if male pattern baldness contributes to predicting prostate cancer prior to biopsy.
In a second analysis, the right hand digits two and four (index and ring fingers) were measured with a digital vernier caliper and the 2D: 4D ratio calculated. This ratio is a marker of exposure to sex hormones with a low 2D:4D ratio being indicative of high prenatal androgen action. and retrospective case control studies have previously reported an association of the 2D:4D ratio to prostate cancer. In this study, the 2D:4D ratio was not a positive indicator of prostate cancer.
Perspective:
Dr. Toby Kohler, moderating the Tuesday, May 22 AUA press briefing said, "The associate between male pattern baldness and prostate cancer is very interesting and deserves ongoing study to support better risk assessment models for prostate cancer."
He added, "It raises the antenna to look at patients with borderline PSA and understand now baldness may be a predictor and to further understand how next generation genetic sequence variants are associated with both the severity of lower urinary track symptoms and prostate cancer susceptibility (abstract 1725 and a related poster 2224 Northwestern U.)
Brian T Helfand (Northwestern U) presented the genetics data from abstract 1725 indicating the technology to assess the genetic sequence variants to predict which patients are predisposed to high PSA, tumor volume or LUTS and how this information could support prostate cancer screening and support active surveillance and disease management. He referenced the work of the Genetics Working Group, a coalition of 17 institutions (several are Prostate SPORE sites) with its robust database now including 28,000 men. Dr. Helfand also indicated the technology has evolved so that genetic sequence variants can be customized very inexpensively and the further studies are underway to segment at risk groups including African American men. Most studies to date have involved white males.
Reported by Karen Roberts, Medical Writer at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting - May 19 - 23, 2012 - Georgia World Congress Center - Atlanta, GA USA
