smoking increases the risk of bladder cancer



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THE ESSENTIAL

  • The same harmful chemicals that you inhale when you smoke accumulate in the urine, and because the bladder holds urine, it is exposed to these toxins at a faster rate than other parts of the body.
  • Only 28% of French people know about bladder cancer.
  • It is nearly four times more common in men than in women.

Quit smoking, your bladder will thank you. “Everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer, but not everyone knows that bladder cancer, said Dr. Srinivas Vourganti, a urologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who specializes in the treatment of bladder and other urinary tract cancers, in a statement released Nov. 18. The same harmful chemicals that you inhale when you smoke accumulate in the urine, and because the bladder holds urine, it is exposed to these toxins at a faster rate than other parts of the body.. “

No early screening tools

Smoking causes more than half of all bladder cancer cases, and smokers are three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than non-smokers. “Exposure to secondhand smoke and toxic solvents and dyes are other important risk factors for bladder cancer, as are recurrent urinary tract infections and other sources of chronic bladder irritation.“, Adds the urologist.

Like other cancers, bladder cancer is easier to treat if detected at an early stage. “Since there is no systematic screening for bladder cancer, like for breast or colon cancer, the number one tool we have for diagnosing bladder cancer at an early stage is when a primary care physician orders a urine test that detects blood in the urine“Explains Dr. Edward Cherullo, also a urologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Symptoms similar to urinary tract infections

Most French people have little knowledge of this disease. An Opinion Way survey for the Merck-Pfizer Alliance and Cancer Vessie France association, revealed by 20 minutes, claims that only 28% of French people know about bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in France. It is nearly four times more common in men than in women. The risk increases with age as 9 out of 10 patients are over 55 years old. Symptoms are usually blood in the urine or frequent and painful urination. Similar signs to urinary tract infections, but can sometimes hide bladder cancer, so it’s important to get checked to find out what’s behind these symptoms.



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