Baldness, prostate cancer linked among black men
Baldness seems to confer a significantly increased risk of
prostate cancer upon black men – particularly if they lose their hair before age
60 years.
Different patterns of baldness were also related to different
grades of cancer, Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, Ph.D., and her colleagues reported
in the March 26 online issue of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention
(Canc. Ep. Biomark. Prev. 2013;22: 589-96).Those with frontal baldness were more
than twice as likely to have high-grade and high-stage disease at diagnosis than
were those with other hair loss patterns, wrote Dr. Zeigler-Johnson of the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and her coauthors.
The researchers’ case-control study comprised 318 black
patients with prostate cancer and 219 black controls. The subjects were matched
for age and other baseline characteristics. However, patients were significantly
older than controls (60 vs. 57 years), and more likely to report a family
history of prostate cancer (36% vs. 27%). Any form of baldness occurred in
significantly more patients than in controls (20% vs.13%).
When the investigators conducted a multivariate analysis, they
found a number of significant associations between the cancer and hair loss.
Compared with those without hair loss, men with any form of baldness were 69%
more likely to have prostate cancer. Frontal baldness was associated with more
than a doubling in the risk of both high-stage and high-grade disease (odds
ratio, 2.61 and 2.20, respectively).
Men with vertex balding who developed prostate cancer were
significantly more likely to present with a low-grade tumor (OR, 1.45).
When the authors broke the groups down by age, they found no
significant associations with disease severity among men older than 60 years.
Instead, these risks were concentrated in men younger than 60 years. Among
these, baldness increased the risk of high-stage cancer by more than three times
(OR, 3.43) and more than doubled the risk high-grade disease (OR, 2.33). Frontal
baldness was a particularly ominous risk factor for younger men, being
associated with more than six times the risk of high-stage disease and more than
four times the risk of high-grade disease (OR, 6.51 and 4.23, respectively).
There were also significant relationships observed between
baldness and prostate specific antigen levels at diagnosis among younger men.
Any baldness was associated with a tripling in the risk of a high PSA (10 ng/mL
or more) at diagnosis. The association was stronger for men with frontal-only
baldness (OR, 5.29).
The authors speculated that the elevated risks are related to
genetically determined androgen metabolism. "There are differences in the
prevalence of genotypes that metabolize testosterone and influence
dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels," they wrote. "High DHT levels have been
associated with both early pattern baldness and prostate cancer processes,
including increases in PSA levels."
In particular, they noted, four genes known to be associated
with early-onset baldness are also involved in pathways of androgen metabolism,
hair development, and age-related neurodegenerative disease.
"Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer in African
Americans, early-onset baldness may be a particularly relevant indicator of risk
that deserves attention in future studies as we seek to advance our knowledge
about high-risk populations."
None of the authors had any financial disclosures. The work
was funded by the Department of Defense and the Public Health Service.
Source: International Medical News Group, LLC /msullivan@frontlinemedcom.com/ Oncology Practice
It's sad to know that being black may be a big factor in getting prostate cancer and other types of cancer as well. In this case, we must teach them and inform them about prostate cancer and the risk factors of the same. My alternative prostate cancer treatments center appreciates this so much. Thanks.
ReplyDelete