What Increases Your Risk

The major risk factors for bladder cancer include:

• Smoking.
  • Cigarette smokers are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as nonsmokers.¹
  • Pipe and cigar smokers have a slightly increased risk compared to nonsmokers, but the risk is significantly less than it is for cigarette smokers.⁴
• Being older than 40. Your risk goes up as you get older, and most people who get bladder cancer are in their 60s.¹
• Being male. Men are 4 times more likely than women to develop bladder cancer.¹
• Race. In the U.S., white people (Caucasians) develop bladder cancer twice as often as African-Americans or Hispanics. Asians, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives have the lowest rates of bladder cancer.⁵
• Exposure to cancer-causing materials (carcinogens) may cause up to 20% of bladder cancer cases in the United States. It may take years (as many as 30 to 50) for cancer to appear. This risk may also depend on how much of the material a person is repeatedly exposed to over time.⁶ Chemical exposure can be a risk for many types of workers from truck drivers to textile workers to hair-stylists. It has been linked to chemicals called aromatic amines that are found in many products, including dyes, paints, solvents, inks, and the dust from leather.⁷
• A history of treatment with cyclophosphamide or arsenic.
• A diet that is high in nitrates or rich in meat and fatty foods.
• Chronic bladder infections (cystitis), especially in people who have catheters in place all the time.
• A history of bladder cancer or a kidney transplant.
• A family history of bladder cancer.
• A history of radiation therapy or chemotherapy for treatment of endometrial or ovarian cancer.
• Schistosomiasis, which is an infection with the parasite Schistosoma haematobium. This condition is sometimes found in developing countries and rarely occurs in North America.