Causes of Bladder Cancer

The causes of bladder cancer are not always clearly understood. Bladder cancer develops when healthy cells in the bladder mutate and turn cancerous. Normal healthy cells divide and grow at a fixed rate whereas cancer cells continue to multiply and grow to form tumors.

Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors of developing bladder cancer. The most common type of cancer, transitional cell or Urothelial carcinoma, is strongly associated with smoking. Studies have shown that almost 50% of bladder cancers in men and 30% of bladder cancers in women may be caused by cigarette smoking. The longer and heavier the exposure to cigarette smoke, the greater is the chances of developing this type of cancer. Cigarette smoke contains many known carcinogens (cancer causing compounds), which after absorption by the lungs travel through the bloodstream. They are eventually filtered out by the kidneys into urine which is stored in the bladder. Once in the bladder, they come into contact with the cells lining the interior of the bladder, damaging them. Some of these damaged cells may turn cancerous.

Other risk factors are:

Sex: Men are more prone to developing bladder cancer than women
Age: Bladder cancer is common in people over the age of 60 years but may also occur at younger ages
Family History: People with a family history of bladder cancer may be at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer
Exposure to Toxic Chemicals: Exposure to chemicals like arsenic, aniline dyes and phenols increase the risk of developing bladder cancer. People who work in the dye, rubber, leather and pesticide industries and truck drivers have the highest risk.
Radiation and Chemotherapy: Radiation and chemotherapy for other cancers like prostate and cervical cancer have been known to increase the risk of developing bladder cancer.
Infections: Long term infections of the bladder and bladder stones can also increase the risk of developing bladder cancer.

Types

Signs & Symptoms