Male-Pattern Vertex Baldness Trajectories, Chest Hair Patterns, and Odds of Overall and Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Hormones significantly influence hair growth.
• The relationship between hair patterns and prostate cancer risk is not fully understood.
• Prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent organ.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between vertex baldness patterns, chest hair amount, and prostate cancer risk.
• To identify potential hair-related biomarkers for aggressive prostate cancer.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 1,931 prostate cancer cases and 1,994 controls in Montreal.
• Hair patterns assessed using the Hamilton-Norwood scale for vertex and frontal baldness, and chest hair amount.
• Group-based trajectory modeling identified distinct baldness patterns over adulthood.
• Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the relationship between hair patterns and prostate cancer odds.

Main Results:

• Vertex baldness onset at age 30 correlated with increased odds of overall prostate cancer (OR, 1.30).
• Men with early-onset, progressing vertex baldness had higher odds of overall (OR, 1.42) and aggressive prostate cancer (OR, 1.98).
• Little chest hair was associated with higher odds of aggressive prostate tumors compared to moderate or abundant chest hair.

Conclusions:

• Early-onset, progressing vertex baldness and sparse chest hair may serve as useful biomarkers for aggressive prostate cancer.
• These hair characteristics could aid in identifying men at higher risk for aggressive disease.