Since 1964, when the U.S. Surgeon General released the first report on the negative side effects of smoking on health, medicine has recognized causation between smoking cigarettes and a number of other life-threatening diseases like throat, colon, pancreatic and tracheal cancer.
Even so, nearly 40 million U.S. adults still smoke, and approximately 4.7 middle and high school students use at least one tobacco product.
Though most of us associate smoking with lung cancer and respiratory disease, physicians have long known the link between smoking and urinary tract health, including an increased risk of bladder cancer.
Some Eye-Opening Statistics
According to the American Cancer Society, smokers are 3 times as likely to get bladder cancer than nonsmokers, and that smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer.
Former smokers are two times more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who never smoked, and current smokers are four times more likely.
One study by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) found that a staggering 50% of all cases of bladder cancer are found in smokers.
Bladder Cancer and Women
Although the raw numbers show the incidence of bladder cancer is higher among men, the number of women who receive a diagnosis of bladder cancer is steadily increasing. This may be in part due to the fact that women--- and young women in particular -- are now more likely than ever to smoke.
But why would a young woman even try smoking, knowing all the negative health impacts?
Among many other factors, tobacco marketing heavily targets women with shrewd ads portraying cigarette smokers as more socially desirable, more independent, and generally more fun to be around. Plus, ad agencies have emphasized the relationship between smoking and weight loss.
How Does Smoking Increase My Risk of Getting Bladder Cancer?
The public conversation around smoking often highlights the damage smoking does to the lungs when potent toxins are inhaled.
What many of us don’t stop to think about is that those same toxins must also leave the body--- and they do so through the urinary tract which consists of the kidneys, ureters, urethra, and bladder.
When urine is held in the bladder for many hours at a time, the bladder is exposed to very high concentrations of the same toxins that were initially inhaled while smoking a cigarette.
These toxins can then cause changes in the cells of the bladder lining which can lead to bladder cancer. Toxins like nicotine, nitrosamines, and formaldehyde not only cause damage but actually block DNA cell repair in the bladder.
Studies have shown that smoking e-cigarettes can also trigger cancer-related damage to bladder tissue.
The bottom line? The number one way to reduce your risk of bladder cancer is to stop smoking.
What Are Some Common Signs of Bladder Cancer?
Because symptoms can present as relatively mild, some patients don’t know they have it until it’s too late.
The good news is that bladder cancer is highly treatable in its early stages so it’s helpful to be aware of some specific symptoms:
Blood in the urine (hematuria)--- this is the most common early symptom of bladder cancer.
UTI-like symptoms (Urinary Tract Infection)
Recurrent bladder infections
Frequent or burning urination
Unexplained pain (usually in the flank area, abdomen, or pelvis)
When Should I See My Doctor?
If you have any of the above-listed symptoms, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor. Even if the cause is something relatively innocuous, like a UTI, it’s best to know so it can be treated.
If your doctor suspects a more serious underlying condition, they may perform a Transurethral Resection of a Bladder Tumor (TURBT). This allows a surgeon to place a scope through the urethra into the bladder to remove tumors from the bladder wall.
This procedure allows a urologist to perform a biopsy of the bladder wall to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer.
The physicians at Norman Urology are experts in this field and are trained to detect and treat bladder cancer early on.
If you feel you may be at risk for bladder cancer, why not schedule an appointment with us today?