Risk factors for bladder cancer
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Risk factors for bladder cancer
§ Smoking
o Most important risk factor
o Smokers are at least 3 times more likely to get bladder cancer than nonsmokers
§ Workplace exposures
o Chemicals called aromatic amines which are sometimes used in the dye industry
o Certain organic chemicals
o Printing companies and companies that make rubber, leather, textiles, and paint products
o Jobs including painters, machinists, printers, hairdressers, and truck drivers
§ Race and ethnicity
o Whites are about twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as African Americans.
o Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians have slightly lower rates.
§ Age
o Risk increases with age.
o About 9 out of 10 people who develop are older than 55.
§ Gender
o More common among men than women
§ Personal history of bladder or other urothelial cancer
o Can form in many areas in the bladder as well as in the lining of the kidney, the ureters, and urethra.
o Puts you at higher risk of having another tumor.
o Tumor can form in the same area as before, or in another part of the urothelium - even when the first tumor is removed completely.
§ Genetics and family history
o Increased risk if person has family members with bladder cancer
o Small number of people inherit a gene syndrome that increases risk:
§ Mutation of retinoblastoma (RB1) gene
§ Cowden disease – caused by mutation of PTEN gene
§ Lynch syndrome
§ Chronic bladder irritation and infections
o Causes have been linked with bladder cancer (unclear whether they cause bladder cancer)
§ Urinary infections
§ Kidney and bladder stones
§ Bladder catheters left in place a long time
o Parasitic infection that can get into bladder (schistosomiasis)
§ Rare in U.S. – typically in countries where parasite is common (Africa and the Middle East)
§ Bladder birth defects (rare)
o Urachus
§ Pre-birth connection between belly button and bladder.
§ Could become cancerous if it does not go away before birth.
o Exstrophy
§ When both the bladder and the abdominal wall in front of the bladder fail to close completely during development and are fused together.
§ Leaves the inner lining of the bladder exposed outside the body.
§ Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
o Long-term use of Cytoxan – chemo drug
o Pelvic radiation
§ Certain medicines or herbal supplements
o According to FDA, using diabetes medication – Actos – for more than one year
o Dietary supplements containing aristolochic acid
§ Arsenic in drinking water
o Exposure depends on where you live – most Americans are not at risk
§ Low fluid consumption
o People who drink lots of fluids each day have a lower rate
o Thought to be because they empty their bladders often – keeps chemicals from lingering in the body