Are You at Higher Risk of Developing Bladder Cancer?

There are risk factors for most of the diseases in this world. Similarly, bladder cancer also has a list of its own risk factors. They are,

• Cigarette smoking - 25 -50 %
• Industrial toxins 

Bladder cancer has a very good relationship with industrial toxins such as rubber, leather and textile. Hair colouring agents also makes people more prone to get bladder carcinoma.

•  Radiation 

If you have a history of exposure to radiation, it puts you in danger of developing bladder cancer.

• Chronic inflammation of the bladder

Chronic inflammation of the bladder is another well known risk factor for developing bladder cancer.  if you have past history of recurrent episodes of urinary tract infections or a past history of bladder stones, your bladder has been under chronic inflammatory process.

• High fat diet, fried meat animal fats
• Age - as with many cancers, your chances of getting a bladder tumor increases with advancing age. As you grow old, the cells accumulate mutations and finally can become malignant.
• White race
• Male gender - men are at three times more risk of developing bladder cancer than females
• Lynch syndrome

If you have any of above risk factors, you have chance of developing bladder carcinoma. It doesn't mean that every one exposed to above agents can develop bladder cancer. It also doesn't mean that you will not get bladder cancer if you don't have any of those risk factors. Therefore, there is no need to panic. But, you should be aware of symptoms of bladder cancer to identify it early.

The most common feature of bladder cancer is gross hematuria. Therefore, if you ever develop hematuria, even once in your life, you should immediately seek medical help.