Knowledge Base Article

Did You Know?

According to a National Cancer Institute, bladder cancer:

• Is the fourth most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men in the United States,
• Occurs about four times higher in men than in women,
• Is diagnosed almost twice as often in White individuals as in Black individuals of either sex; and
• The incidence of bladder cancer increases with age.

Blood in the urine is the most common presenting sign of bladder cancer, occurring in about 90% of cases. Other presenting symptoms include dysuria, urinary frequency or urgency, and less commonly, flank pain secondary to obstruction, and pain from pelvic invasion or bone metastasis.

Although hematuria is the most common presenting symptom, most people experiencing hematuria do not have bladder cancer.

Why it Matters?

There are risk factors related to being diagnosed with bladder cancer, most common being tobacco use, especially smoking cigarettes. Examples of additional risk factors includes:

• Having a family history of bladder, cancer,
• Having certain changes in the genes that are linked to bladder cancer,
• Being exposed to paints, dyes, metals, or petroleum products in the workplace,
• Past treatment with radiation therapy to the pelvis or with certain anticancer drugs, such as cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide,
• Taking Aristolochia fangchi, a Chinese herb,
• Drinking water from a well that has high levels of arsenic,
• Drinking water that has been treated with chlorine,
• Having a history of bladder infections, and
• Using urinary catheters for a long time.

What Can You Do?

First and foremost, if you smoke, quit! If you think you may be at risk for bladder cancer and/or are experiencing symptoms common for bladder cancer, discuss this with you physician. Time matters. The earlier bladder cancer is identified, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after diagnosis. The current five years relative survival rate is 77.1%.

What Can You Do?

• National Cancer Institute Cancer Stat Facts: Bladder Cancer: (https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html)
• National Cancer Institute Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers Screening (PDQ®) Patient Version: (https://www.cancer.gov/types/bladder/patient/bladder-screening-pdq)
• National Cancer Institute Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers Screening (PDF®) Health Profession Version: (https://www.cancer.gov/types/bladder/hp/bladder-screening-pdq )