EARLY HAIR LOSS OCCURRENCE COULD BE AN EARLY SIGN OF PROSTATE CANCER

The prostate is an exocrine gland found underneath the urinary bladder and is about the size of a walnut. In men, the primary purpose of this gland is to secrete a white milky fluid that constitutes 20 to 30 percent of the volume of semen. Frequently, the prostate gland enlarge as men age but in most cases, it does not cause any problem . The enlarged prostate is called benign prostatic hyperplasia.

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Obviously, there are other conditions that could affect the prostate. Prostitis, for instance, is an swelling of the prostate gland that can cause painful urination. One of the worst things that can happen to the prostate gland is when a single cell goes wild and multiplies rapidly causing prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males in developed countries. In the UK, about 30,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed annually and 10,000 die from it every year. The key to successfully treatment of prostate cancer is early diagnosis. Taking a cancer screening test called prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is best to be able to look for early signs of prostate cancer.

Alternatively, a group of French researchers indicate that early occurrence of hair loss can be added as one of the signs and symptoms of possible prostate cancer development. The study indicates that men with severe types of hair loss in their 20s have twice the incidence of prostate cancer as compared to those men who develop hair loss in their 30s.

Though PSA is an excellent tool for identifying prostate cancer, screening the general population would not be beneficial. An efficient way to fight this cancer is to identify individuals who are at risk of this deadly disease. Patients with high risk are African-American men, those who have a family history of prostate cancer, and those who are 50 years old and above. It is suggested that early hair loss should be included as one of the early signs and symptoms of prostate cancer.