Habits That May Increase Your Risk of Bladder Cancer

Among the more than 200 types of cancer known to man, bladder cancer ranks 5th in the West, say the experts. Just about anyone can end up with cancer of the urinary bladder, though. However, someone who has one of the risk factor or several risk factors of bladder cancer is said to be at higher risk than anybody else.

However, this does not mean that you should prepare yourself for combating bladder cancer in the future because you have one or many of the several risk factors of bladder cancer.

Take note that there are people who have the risk factors of bladder cancer but do not suffer from the said type of cancer. On the other hand, there are also those who were diagnosed with cancer of the urinary bladder, but did not beforehand exhibit any of the risk factor of bladder cancer.

So in other words, a risk factor is something that can increase your likelihood of having a particular disease, but it doesn’t mean that you will have the disease.

Some of the risk factors of bladder cancer can be completely avoided. This only means that doing some simple dietary and lifestyle changes may actually help lower your chances of having bladder cancer. But then some risk factors of bladder cancer cannot be changed, meaning you can do nothing about them.

Let’s first take a look at bladder cancer risk factors that you cannot change at all:

Age

The older you get, the higher the odds of having cancer of the urinary bladder. For instance, about 90 percent of those with bladder cancer are over 55 years old, say the American Cancer Society.

Gender

The American Cancer Society also adds that males are more likely to suffer from bladder cancer than females. Men, in their lifetime, have about 1 in 26 chance of having cancer of the urinary bladder, while women have approximately 1 in 86 chance of developing bladder cancer in their lifetime.

Race

Did you know that the risk of Caucasians having bladder cancer is double compared to African Americans? Native Americans, Asians and Hispanics are less likely to suffer from bladder cancer.

Family history

You may be at higher risk of developing cancer of the urinary bladder is a relative of yours has been diagnosed with it because the big C actually runs in families.

Personal history

An individual who was once diagnosed with bladder cancer and was successfully treated may be at risk of developing the same type of cancer again in the future, according to medical experts.

Apparently, there is nothing you can do to alter any one of the aforementioned risk factors of bladder cancer. Now it’s time for us to take a look at some of those that you can change:

Cigarette smoking

We all know that ditching smoking can come with so many health perks, and one of those is lowered irks of developing bladder cancer. In fact, it’s not just cancer of the urinary bladder that you may dodge more effectively if you quit cigarette smoking, but many other types of cancer and diseases, too.

Low fluid consumption

Drinking plenty of water is actually good for your urinary bladder because it helps ensure that the said part of your excretory system is always clean — toxins that can cause cancer to strike are constantly flushed out of the urinary bladder if you consume fluids on a regular basis.

Exposure to certain chemicals

Constant exposure to certain substances can increase your likelihood of developing cancer of the urinary bladder. Some of the said substances include arsenic and benzidine. Certain chemicals used in textile, leather, rubber, paint and printing industries may also cause bladder cancer.

Chronic bladder infections

Doctors warn against constantly suffering from infections of the urinary bladder as it’s something that is regarded as a risk factor of bladder cancer. Make sure that you do your best to keep at bay any infection that can affect the urinary bladder, like a urinary tract infection or UTI.

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