Risk factors for different types of cancer are traits and behaviors that increase the likelihood that an individual will develop disease. Risk factors for bladder cancer include behaviors such as cigarette smoking as well as inherited (genetic) traits and exposure to cancer-causing agents in the environment.
-
Smoking
Cigarette smoking is the most significant risk factor for bladder cancer. In fact, smokers are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as nonsmokers. Smoking is estimated to be responsible for 47 percent of bladder cancer deaths among men and 37 percent among women.
At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, patients with bladder cancer who are smokers are referred to our smoking cessation program, which offers individual and group counseling to help people overcome their habit. Research has shown that quitting smoking will reduce the likelihood of developing a recurrence of bladder cancer.
-
Genetics
A number of substances, some of them carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, can become concentrated in the urine and increase a person's chances of getting bladder cancer. Memorial Sloan-Kettering investigators are working to discover how the body removes cancer-causing agents such as smoke and chemicals. Studies suggest that certain genetic traits cause some individuals to detoxify these carcinogens more slowly than others, possibly increasing their risk of developing the disease.
-
Occupation
Certain occupations have been linked to an increased risk for bladder cancer. People who work in the textile, dye, rubber, leather, printing, or paint industries are at higher risk for the disease because of their exposure to a class of organic chemicals called aromatic amines.
-
Chronic Bladder Problems
Studies have linked bladder cancer with long-term bladder problems, such as bladder infections and bladder and kidney stones. Chronic irritation of the bladder can also predispose people to bladder cancer.
-
Cyclophosphamide Therapy
People who have taken the drug cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®), which is often used as a treatment for lymphoma, are at higher than average risk for bladder cancer.
