Abstract 850: Androgenic alopecia and risks of overall and aggressive prostate cancer: An updated meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background: Androgenic alopecia, known as male pattern baldness (MPB), is a common hair loss disorder among men. MPB has similar risk factors with prostate cancer (PrCa) including advancing age, family history, and sex hormones. Several studies have examined the associations between MPB and PrCa but the evidence remains unclear. We carried out a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies that examined the relationship between patterns of baldness: frontal, vertex, or both and PrCa risk. Methods: A literature search was performed in October 2022 using PubMed and Web of Science databases for epidemiological studies published between 1/1/2000 and 10/31/2022, which examined the above hypothesis. From each eligible study, relevant data were extracted on study design, population, sample size, prevalence of MPB at various ages, and corresponding associations with risks of total and aggressive PrCa. Pooled relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models. Heterogeneity across studies was assessed by I2 statistic. Results: A total of 14 studies: 14,573 cases and 132,434 controls/non-cases were included. The prevalence of MPB increased from 5% to 70% with aging and varied across studies. Vertex MPB at ages 40 years or older was associated with a pooled RR of 1.08 (95%CI 1.00-1.17) of total PrCa, but there was no association with frontal MPB. The onset of MBP at younger ages was also associated with RR=1.10 (95% CI 0.93 - 1.29) of PrCa, although results were not statistically significant. Results were similar when data were stratified by clinical features of PrCa, although there was large heterogeneity in the definition of aggressive PrCa across studies. Conclusions: Men with vertex MPB may have modest increased risk of PrCa. However, the majority of studies were conducted in Caucasian men and they did not evaluate effect modifications by genetic variations in androgen metabolism pathway genes or changes in serum levels of androgens. Further, large well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to better understand the complex relationship between genetic susceptibility, endogenous hormones, MBP and risk of PrCa. Citation Format: Sapir Amar, David Hanelin, Ilir Agalliu. Androgenic alopecia and risks of overall and aggressive prostate cancer: An updated meta-analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 850.