Men who have moderate baldness affecting both the front and back of the crown of the head at the age of 45 may be more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life.

The specific baldness pattern was linked to a 40 percent increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men with full heads of hair, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) reported.

"Our study found an increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer only in men with a very specific pattern of hair loss, baldness at the front and moderate hair-thinning on the crown of the head, at the age of 45. But we saw no increased risk for any form of prostate cancer in men with other hair-loss patterns," said senior study author Michael B. Cook, an investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. "While our data show a strong possibility for a link between the development of baldness and aggressive prostate cancer, it's too soon to apply these findings to patient care."

To make their findings the researchers looked at a cohort of 39,070 men from the U.S. between the ages of 55 and 74. The men were given a questionnaire that asked them to recall what their hair loss patterns were at the age of 45.

During the follow-up period 1,138 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed, 51 percent of which were aggressive. The mean age of prostate cancer diagnosis was 72.

The research revealed men who had hair loss on the frontal and moderate crown (vertex) were 40 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer compared to men who had no baldness.

If the findings are further confirmed baldness patterns could be used as a tool to identify men who have an increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. The research team is currently conducting two additional cohort analyses to identify the link between baldness and the condition.

The findings were published Sept. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.