What are the risk factors for bladder cancer?
Learn more from Dr. Sangtae Park on behalf of NorthShore University about the risks for bladder cancer.
Transcript
Basically, the toxins that you inhale in your lung are eliminated from the body by the kidney.
And then the urine is stored in the bladder. So the toxins stay in the bladder for hours.
And so, the bladder can get cancer. [MUSIC PLAYING]
So what are the risks for bladder cancer? The only confirmed risk factors for bladder cancer
are, number one, tobacco use. So tobacco use can be either from smoking cigarettes
or from chewing tobacco. Basically, the toxins that you inhale in your lung are eliminated from the body by the kidney.
And then the urine is stored in the bladder. So the toxins stay in the bladder for hours.
And so, the bladder can get cancer. The second risk factor includes radiation therapy.
So some people get radiation for cervical cancer, rectal cancer, prostate cancer.
And then when we follow these patients up for years, they have a two- to three-fold increase in the risk of bladder cancer.
So if you've had radiation and you have blood in the urine, the physician should look inside the bladder
to make sure there isn't bladder cancer. And then lastly, there are people who've had strokes or spinal cord injuries who
require an indwelling catheter in their bladder for years. And having the catheter and repeated infections
and repeated stones leads to a bladder cancer, also. So those are the three risk factors.
cancer prevention
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