Smoking, chemical exposure, inflammation, drug abuse, family history, race, and age increase the risk of bladder cancer.
Dr. Phan Huynh Tien Dat, Department of Urology, Center for Urology – Nephrology – Andrology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that bladder cancer is a common type of urinary system cancer, second only to prostate cancer. Factors that increase the risk of the disease include:
Smoke: Both active and passive smoking habits, including e-cigarettes, are the biggest risk factors for bladder cancer. Dr. Dat cited research in the US showing that about 50-65% of bladder cancer cases are related to smoking. People who regularly smoke are 3-4 times more likely to develop bladder cancer than non-smokers. The reason is that toxic substances in cigarette smoke can accumulate in urine, gradually damaging the bladder lining, making it easier to lead to cancer.
Frequent exposure to chemicals: People who work in environments that are exposed to many fragrant chemicals such as paints, dyes, herbicides, pesticides, etc., and people living in polluted water environments containing arsenic, are at risk. Bladder cancer is higher than normal people.
Family history: People who have a relative with bladder cancer have a higher risk of getting the disease than others. The cause may be due to genetic factors or shared living environment.
Age: The risk of bladder cancer increases as people get older. Many cases of bladder cancer are found in people over the age of 55.
Doctor Tien Dat answers questions about bladder cancer for patients. Photo: Hospital provided
Infection: Chronic or recurrent urinary tract infections over a long period of time may increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder lining.
Fat: Increased insulin production in obese people has the potential to stimulate cancer cell growth in many organs, including bladder cancer.
Drug abuse: Excess pharmaceutical substances in drugs are excreted from the body through urine, destroying the bladder lining, easily causing cancer. The habit of arbitrarily taking medication and using functional foods of unknown origin not only increases the risk of bladder cancer, but also other urinary system cancers such as kidney cancer.
Sex: Dr. Dat said that men have a higher rate of bladder cancer and death from this disease than women.
History of cancer treatment: People who have had cancer treatment with drugs or radiation for pelvic cancer have a higher risk of developing bladder cancer.
According to Dr. Dat, hematuria is the most common sign of bladder cancer. The cause is that malignant tumors in the bladder bleed easily and mix into urine. Therefore, people with symptoms of hematuria that do not go away for a long time need to go to the hospital as soon as possible for examination, diagnosis, determination of the cause, appropriate treatment, to avoid spreading bladder cancer for a long time, making treatment more complicated.
To prevent bladder cancer, Dr. Tien Dat recommends not smoking, including e-cigarettes, drinking enough water about 1.5-2 liters per day, eating healthy, and limiting exposure to chemicals. Fragrant substances and pesticides.