Men who begin losing their hair around the age of 20 are more likely than those who don’t to develop prostate cancer later in life. French researchers discovered this phenomenon while interviewing men treated for the prostate disease.

Their results appear in the journal Annals of Oncology. The team surveyed more than 600 men, the majority of whom had been diagnosed with prostate carcinomas.

Those who had begun balding by the age of 20 had twice the incidence of prostate cancer of those who began balding in their 30s or 40s.

Researchers suggested that questions about balding age may be integrated into the prostate cancer screening process.

Approximately 50 percent of men experience balding, or androgenic alopecia, the team said. While a lack of balding does not guarantee that a man will not be diagnosed with prostate disease, researchers said it is associated with a reduced likelihood.

An estimated one in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.