Should Male Pattern Baldness Be Considered in Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Baldness and prostate cancer (PCa) share some common pathological mechanisms. However, the association between baldness and PCa remains controversial.

We conducted a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis to determine this association.

This systematic review was conducted until 31st October 2025, consulting five databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library. Odds ratios or hazard ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted to calculate the pooled results with random effects model using the restricted maximum likelihood. The study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO registry on June 2025 (ID: CRD420251160995).

The analysis incorporated results from 20 studies, covering data on 154,988 men, of whom 18,140 had a diagnosis of PCa. Despite a certain degree of heterogeneity, our meta-analysis revealed a significant association between baldness (any pattern) and overall PCa (pooled relative risk (pRR) = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01-1.14; p = 0.030). This association is particularly marked for vertex baldness pattern (pRR = 1.19, 95%CI: 1.06-1.33; p = 0.004), more aggressive PCa forms (pRR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.01-1.30; p = 0.034) and early-onset baldness (≤30 years old) (pRR = 1.26 (95%CI: 1.00-1.60; p = 0.052).

This meta-analysis identifies a significant association between any baldness pattern and overall PCa, and between early onset baldness and PCa. It confirms and specifies previous association with vertex baldness and PCa, as well as baldness and high-risk PCa. Early baldness could be considered as a potential clinical biomarker of an elevated risk of developing PCa.