Cause of bladder cancer  

Bladder cancer usually forms from the cells inside the bladder. It is mainly a disease of older people. Half of bladder tumours occur in people over the age of 70 and the disease is very rare in people under 40 years of age.
The exact causes of bladder cancer are not clear, but smoking is an important avoidable cause of the disease. Cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke are absorbed into the blood, filtered out by the kidneys and then, as a part of the urine, stored in the bladder. In the long term, this appears to cause damage to the bladder lining. Smokers are two to three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than non smokers.
Environmental factors can also increase the risk of developing bladder cancer. These include certain chemicals once used in the rubber, paint, dye, printing and textile industries.
A family history of the disease, or chronic infection with the tropical diseases bilharzia also increase the risk of bladder cancer.

usefull topic

didnt know much baout bladder n bladder cancer
nways thanx for the info.

I m responding to u because i m a medical professional,spread this knowledge to everyone u know..njoy,be healthy livelong..
What is a risk factor?A risk factor is anything that can increase your chance of developing cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, smoking is a risk factor for many types of cancers, including bladder cancer.
Remember - Having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will definitely get bladder cancer. Many people who have one or more of the risk factors never get bladder cancer and some people who have none of the risk factors do develop bladder cancer. They are only a guide to what may increase risk.
How common is bladder cancer?In 2002 (the most recent figures available) there were just under 10,200 people diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK. It is much more common in men than in women. Not counting non melanoma skin cancer, bladder cancer is the 4th commonest cancer for men, the 11th commonest cancer in women and the 5th commonest cancer overall. The good news is that the incidence is falling in the UK for both men and women.
More men than women get bladder cancer. This may just be because more men than women have smoked over the past twenty years or so. And more men have been exposed to chemicals at work.
Your ethnic background is also related to your risk. Black men have about half the risk of bladder cancer of white men. Black women have about two thirds the risk of white women. Risk in Asian men and women is even lower.
Because bladder cancer usually takes a long time to develop, it is most common in older people. Most people with bladder cancer are between 50 and 80 years old. It is rare in people under 40.
Smoking
Smoking cigarettes definitely increases the risk of bladder cancer. Your risk if you smoke is almost 4 times that of a non smoker. If you smoke heavily or have smoked for a long time, your risk is even higher. In Europe, more than half of all bladder cancers in men and about a third in women are caused by smoking.
The chemicals in the smoke get into the blood stream. They are then filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and end up in the urine. When the urine is stored in the bladder, these chemicals are in prolonged contact with the bladder lining. Chemicals called arylamines in cigarette smoke may be the cause of the increased bladder cancer risk in smokers.
Having had bladder cancer before
If you have already been successfully treated for a bladder cancer in the past then your risk of developing another cancer anywhere in the urinary tract is higher. This includes any part of your bladder that is still there after your treatment, your kidneys and the tubes that connect these organs. For this reason your specialist will keep a close eye on you and you will have regular checkups to find any new cancers developing at their earliest stages.
Chemicals at work
A group of chemicals called arylamines are known to cause bladder cancer. These chemicals have been banned in the UK for about 20 years. But it can take up to 25 years for a bladder cancer to develop. You may have been exposed to them a long time ago if you work in industries such as rubber or plastics manufacture. Arylamines that increase risk of bladder cancer include
* Aniline dyes
* 2-Naphthylamine
* 4-Aminobiphenyl
* Xenylamine
* Benzidine
Another group of chemicals called polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Exposure to these chemicals is possible in industries where there is handling of carbon or crude oil, or substances made from them. You may also come into contact with them in any industry involving combustion, such as smelting.
If you have a diagnosis of bladder cancer, it is worth finding out if you have ever been exposed to any of these chemicals. If you have, talk to your urologist or cancer doctor. You may be able to claim an allowance called 'Industrial Disease Benefit' from the Government Department for Work and Pensions.
Some other jobs have been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. These include
* Painters and dectorators
* Metal casters, machine setters and operators
* Mechanics
* Miners
* People in the printing industry, who work with a substance called 'carbon black' that is used to make inks.
Treatment for other cancers
Treatment with radiotherapy to the pelvic area for cancers such as cervical cancer, prostate cancer and testicular cancer can increase your risk of bladder cancer. And treatment with the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide also increases risk.
Repeated bladder infections
If you have had many bladder infections in the past, or suffer from chronic bladder infection, you may be more at risk from a type of bladder cancer called 'squamous cell cancer of the bladder'. In the UK this is a much less common cause than smoking or chemicals. People who are prone to bladder infection are more at risk, for example people who are paralysed.
In the developing world infection is the main cause of bladder cancer. A parasite called bilharzia or schistosomiasis is widespread in many countries and increases risk of squamous cell bladder cancer.
Bladder stones
'Stones' are little lumps of calcium that can form in the urinary system. You can get kidney or bladder stones. If you have stones in the bladder (sometimes called bladder calculi), you may be more at risk from a type of bladder cancer called 'squamous cell bladder cancer'. This is because stones can cause chronic infection. But you would need to suffer from this for a long time before it would increase your risk of bladder cancer.
Family history
If you have an inherited risk of cancer, you must have inherited a faulty gene. But bladder cancer is rarely caused by an inherited faulty gene. So even if someone in your family has bladder cancer, it is very unlikely that you have an increased risk yourself.
There are a few families where bladder cancer is associated with a gene fault. If your relative was diagnosed before the age of 45, it is more likely that their cancer was caused by a gene fault. But family cancer patterns are influenced by behaviour too. Often cancers do seem to 'run in families' because of shared patterns of behaviour such as smoking which increase the risk of cancer. Overall, you are statistically more at risk if you have a first degree relative with bladder cancer (a parent, child, sister or brother). But remember, this is a statistical risk and can only tell you about risk in a whole population, not a single individual.
Diet and fluid intake
A healthy diet can lower your risk of bladder cancer. There is good evidence that eating as little as 100 grams of fruit a day (about 4 ounces) can significantly lower your bladder cancer risk, although the effect will be greater if you eat more than that.
Coffee drinking causes a small increase in bladder cancer risk if you have an extremely high intake (more than 10 cups a day). Researchers have found this in men and women, although the effect is weaker in women. Many other foods have been studied but there is no clear evidence that any of them increase risk of bladder cancer.
Your overall fluid intake probably has no effect on bladder cancer risk. Drinking chlorinated water (water with chlorine added) may cause a small increase in bladder cancer risk compared to water disinfected in other ways.
Painkillers
Taking painkillers that reduce inflammation probably has no effect on bladder cancer risk. Anti-inflammatory painkillers include ibuprofen (Nurofen) and aspirin.
Pre birth bladder development
As a baby develops inside the mother there is a connection between their bladder and belly button (umbilicus). This connection is called the urachus and usually disappears before the baby is born. The connection can remain after birth. This is extremely rare but can increase the risk of a rare type of bladder cancer called adenocarcinoma.
Another very rare birth defect called exstrophy can also increase a person’s risk of developing bladder cancer later in life. Extrophy occurs when the bladder and urethra do not form properly. The bladder does not form its normal round shape but becomes flat and exposed to the outside of the body. It is turned 'inside out'. With the bladder outside the body and not protected by skin covering, it can easily become infected. This can eventually lead to adenocarcinoma of the bladder.

due to alcohol

Cancer can also occur in young children and adolescents, but it is rare.

50,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. Some of these patients have their bladders removed and then must use a bag to go to the bathroom. It's often an uncomfortable and embarrassing solution.

A new surgery offers patients a better alternative.

My friends husband was diagnised with bladder cancer about 4 weeks ago and on the 9th Dec was operated on to remove his bladder. He came through the 8 hour surgery extremely well and only spent around 36 hours in ICU. He has been in a lot of pain and is very tired , can only stay awake for short periods at a time. They are hoping to discharge him before Christmas but the only complication is his tube which keeps blocking or infecting i am not really sure what the exact problem is there as i have been unable to see much of my friend a she spends most of her time with her husband at the hospital.They have been told that he will be very tired for around three months and it should take him 6months to get back to anywhere near normal. Of course he has to spend the rest of his life with a bag attached ( i am not sure of the name for that)He goes back on the 12th January to get his results and will find out then if they were able to get all the cancer or if it has spread into his glands,we are just praying that they were able to remove all the cancer.He is in his mid to late 50's , has never smoked or worked in any of the areas that have been mentioned. They are a very fit health concious family, he has workrd in Real Estate most of his working life but is a Vietman Veteran so maybe that could have something to do with it ,being exposed to whatever chemicals etc over there. This has been a great discussion and very timely for me as i have learned a little more about it. Thank you all who have contributed

Bladder cancer usually forms from the cells inside the bladder. It is mainly a disease of older people. Half of bladder tumours occur in people over the age of 70 and the disease is very rare in people under 40 years of age.

smoking is an important avoidable cause of the disease. Cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke are absorbed into the blood, filtered out by the kidneys and then, as a part of the urine, stored in the bladder. In the long term, this appears to cause damage to the bladder lining. Smokers are two to three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than non smokers.

Environmental factors can also increase the risk of developing bladder cancer. These include certain chemicals once used in the rubber, paint, dye, printing and textile industries.

Bladder cancer usually originates in the bladder lining, which consists of a mucous layer of surface cells that expand and deflate (transitional epithelial cells), smooth muscle, and a fibrous layer. Tumors are categorized as low-stage (superficial) or high-stage (muscle invasive).


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In industrialized countries (e.g., United States, Canada, France), more than 90% of cases originate in the transitional epithelial cells (called transitional cell carcinoma; TCC). In developing countries, 75% of cases are squamous cell carcinomas caused by Schistosoma haematobium (parasitic organism) infection. Rare types of bladder cancer include small cell carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, primary lymphoma, and sarcoma.



Incidence and Prevalence
According to the National Cancer Institute, the highest incidence of bladder cancer occurs in industrialized countries such as the United States, Canada, and France. Incidence is lowest in Asia and South America, where it is about 70% lower than in the United States.

Incidence of bladder cancer increases with age. People over the age of 70 develop the disease 2 to 3 times more often than those aged 55–69 and 15 to 20 times more often than those aged 30–54.

Bladder cancer is 2 to 3 times more common in men. In the United States, approximately 38,000 men and 15,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men and the eighth most common type in women. The disease is more prevalent in Caucasians than in African Americans and Hispanics.