How can bladder cancer be prevented

National Cancer Institute. Bladder cancer treatment PDQ —health professional version. Updated June 5, Accessed October 24, Morales A. BCG: A throwback from the stone age of vaccines opened the path for bladder cancer immunotherapy. Can J Urol. Decaestecker K, Oosterlinck W. Managing the adverse events of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy. Res Rep Urol. BCG Live [prescribing information]. Accessed November 21, American Urological Association. Intravesical administration of therapeutic medication.

Accessed October 28, Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus cystectomy compared with cystectomy alone for locally advanced bladder cancer. N Engl J Med. Cisplatin [prescribing information]. Methotrexate [prescribing information]. Lake Forest, IL: Hospira; Vinblastine [prescribing information]. Lake Zurich, IL: Fresenius; When you smoke, cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens harm cells in your bladder.

Carcinogens from smoke enter the blood through the lungs. The kidneys filter the blood to remove these carcinogens and send them into the urine. The urine goes to the bladder, where it's stored until you urinate. This causes the carcinogens to build up in the urine. They can harm the cells in your bladder. Over time, these damaged cells may turn into cancer. The younger you were when you started smoking, and the more you smoke, the higher your risk of getting cancer.

That's not true. Quitting greatly lowers your risk for cancer. And the longer you don't smoke, the more your risk goes down. So, it's worth the effort to do all you can to stop smoking. White people are twice as likely to get bladder cancer as African Americans or Hispanic Americans.

The risk for bladder cancer goes up with age. It's rare in people younger than age Most people with bladder cancer are age 65 or older. Exposure to certain chemicals and dyes can increase your risk for bladder cancer. But exposure to chemicals at work makes up only a small percentage of bladder cancers. If you work in the dye industry or as a hairdresser or truck driver, you may have been exposed to chemicals that increase your risk for bladder cancer.

This may also be true if you work with rubber, textiles, leather, paint, metalwork, or printing. Talk with your employer about risk factors involving chemicals. Make sure you follow the guidelines for working with chemicals safely. Using pioglitazone hydrochloride for more than one year has been linked to bladder cancer.

This is a diabetes medicine. Supplements containing Aristolochia fangchi or aristolochic acid have been linked to bladder cancer.

This is an herb used in some weight-loss products. If you've had bladder cancer in the past, even if it was at an early stage, you have a higher risk of getting it again. Your risk also goes up if you have a family history of bladder cancer. It also goes up if you have certain inherited genetic problems. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for bladder cancer and what you can do about them.

There is no sure way to prevent bladder cancer. But some risk factors can be controlled to help reduce your risk. It may also help to drink a lot of water and eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. There are no regular screening tests for bladder cancer. People at high risk, such as those who have had bladder before, may be screened with cystoscopy. Urine tests can also be done to look for blood or abnormal cells.

Blood in your urine. Blood is often the first sign of bladder cancer. The color of urine may be pink or deep red, depending on the amount of blood. You may have clots of blood in the urine. Change in urinary habits. This can include urinating more often than normal. You may feel an urgent need to urinate, have trouble urinating, or have a weak stream of urine. You may experience burning or pain when urinating. Many of these may be caused by other health problems.

Only a healthcare provider can tell if you have cancer. Your healthcare provider will ask you about your health history, symptoms, risk factors, and family history of disease. Your provider will do a physical exam. This may include a rectal or vaginal exam. They may do this to check for tumors that may be large enough to feel. Once cancer has been diagnosed, the next step is to choose the best way to treat it. To help do this, your healthcare provider uses exams and tests to find out how much and how far the cancer has spread, or metastasized, in your body This is called the cancer stage.

It is one of the most important things to know when deciding how to treat the cancer. As cancer cells multiply, the tumor grows. As the tumor gets larger, it may grow into deeper layers of the bladder. It may also spread to nearby organs, such as the prostate in men or the uterus in women.

Cells can break off from the main tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymph nodes. Blood or lymph then carries the cells to other parts of the body, such as the bones, liver, or lungs, where a new tumor may form metastasis.

The stage of cancer is based on where the cancer is and how much it has grown and spread. The stage is found by looking inside the bladder during cystoscopy and using tests that show images of the bladder, the areas around it, and parts of the body that the cancer may spread to.

The staging system described below is a simplified one. Your healthcare provider will most likely use a similar, but more detailed, system. At the superficial stage noninvasive , the tumor is only in the bladder lining and submucosal layer of the bladder. At the invasive stage, the tumor has begun to grow into the muscle or fat layers of the wall of the bladder. Avoid all cigarettes, cigars, and pipes to lower your risk of developing bladder cancer.

Here are tips to help you stop smoking. Several studies have suggested that ingesting high amounts of arsenic in drinking water is linked to a greater risk of bladder cancer. Most of the drinking water in the United States contains low levels of arsenic, but this may be a concern for people in other parts of the world.

Certain chemicals that are used in the workplace have been associated with a higher chance of developing bladder cancer. Studies estimate that occupational exposure to chemical agents is responsible for 18 percent of bladder cancer cases. Doctors believe contact with certain agents leads to bladder cancer because your kidneys help filter harmful chemicals from your bloodstream and distribute them into your bladder.

Substances used in the manufacturing of rubber, dyes, leather, and paint products are thought to affect your risk of bladder cancer. Some of these chemicals include benzidine and beta-naphthylamine, which are known as aromatic amines. Certain drugs have been linked to bladder cancer. The U. Other studies have shown no connection between use of the medicine and bladder cancer.

Cancer treatments, such as the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide Cytoxan, Neosar or radiation therapy , may also raise the risk of bladder cancer. Dietary supplements that contain aristolochic acid may put you at risk for developing bladder cancer.

This compound is often found in herbal products to help:. Not drinking enough fluids may be a risk factor for bladder cancer. Researchers think people who drink plenty of water each day empty their bladders more often, which may keep harmful chemicals from sticking around in the bladder.

While guidelines vary, in general, men should drink about 13 cups of liquids a day. Learn more about how much water you should drink per day. Certain mutations , such as those of the RB1 gene and the PTEN gene, may also boost your chances of having this cancer. Learn more about the connection between bladder cancer and genetics. Certain bladder problems have been linked to bladder cancer, including:. Schistosomiasis , an infection caused by a parasitic worm, also increases your chances of developing this cancer.

This parasite is very rare in the United States. Caucasians are twice as likely as African-Americans or Hispanics to develop bladder cancer. Bladder cancer affects more men than women. In fact, men are three to four times more likely to get this cancer during their lifetime.