Alphabetical List of Conditions Treated / Bladder Cancer

Bladder Cancer: Surgery, Symptoms, Treatment and Diagnosis

Bladder Cancer Overview

Bladder cancer is marked by the formation of malignant cells in the tissues of the bladder, the organ where urine is stored.

More than 90 percent of bladder cancers in the United States are transitional cell carcinomas, which form in the bladder’s inner lining. Less common are squamous cell carcinomas, which form the thin, flat cells of the bladder; and adenocarcinomas, which begin in the cells that release mucus and other fluids. Both of the latter types of bladder cancer develop after a chronic infection or irritation.

Incidence - Risk Factors

More than 68,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, and the current annual death toll exceeds 14,000. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men (behind prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer) and the ninth most common among women. One reason it is higher among men is that the androgen receptor, which plays a major role in bladder cancer’s development, is more active in males; another is that in the past, men have smoked cigarettes in greater numbers than women, and smoking is the leading risk factor for the disease.

The risk for bladder cancer increases with age, and it is significantly more common in whites than in African Americans and Latinos. However, it is most lethal in African Americans – in large part because African Americans tend to be diagnosed later. A study of nearly 100,000 people with bladder cancer found that African American patients were 35 percent more likely to die of the disease than white patients. Bladder cancer is also more common in industrialized countries such as the United States , Canada , and France than in Asian and South American countries.

Most bladder tumors are believed to result from exposure to environmental carcinogens. Cigarettes are thought to be responsible for as many as half of bladder cancers in males and nearly one-third of those in females. People in certain occupations are also at greater risk because of their exposures to certain substances, including rubber, certain dyes and textiles, paint, and hairdressing supplies. Diets high in fried meats and fat are also believed to increase susceptibility to the disease. In addition, researchers have discovered that mutations in certain DNA repair genes are associated with an elevated risk.