How to Lower Your Risk for Bladder Cancer

September 13th, 2023

By Ty and Charlene Bollinger

Guest Writers for Wake Up World

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. In men, it’s the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer, although it occurs much less frequently in women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2018 there were over 81,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed (62,380 in men and 18,810 in women) and around 17,000 deaths from this disease (12,520 in men and 4,720 in women).

Bladder cancer typically afflicts older people. Roughly 9 out of 10 individuals who develop this disease are over the age of 55, while the average age at the time of diagnosis is 73 years. The chance that an American man will develop this cancer during his lifetime is about 1 in 27. For an American woman, the risk is much lower, at about 1 in 89. Generally speaking, Caucasians are more likely to be afflicted with bladder cancer than African Americans or Hispanic Americans.

Fortunately, 50% of all cases of bladder cancers are detected early, while they are still confined to the inner layer of the bladder wall. A third will have invaded into deeper layers but will still only be in the bladder. In most of the remaining cases, bladder cancer cells will have spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes outside the bladder. Very rarely, in about four percent of bladder cancer cases, it is likely to have metastasized, or spread to distant parts of the body.

The Role of the Urinary Bladder

The urinary bladder is a hollow, balloon-shaped organ with flexible, muscular walls situated in the pelvis in the lower part of our abdomen. Your bladder’s main job is to store urine made by the kidneys, your body’s natural blood filters. The kidneys work to control the amount of water and other substances dissolved in your body’s fluids by filtering excess fluid and waste products out of your blood. These waste products may include extra food components that your body doesn’t need and can’t store, as well as toxic compounds made in your body’s cells during their daily metabolic activities.

Typically, urine contains urea, creatinine, and electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and bicarbonate, along with water. As urine is made, it is sent into each kidney’s collecting tubules and exits into the urinary bladder through a long tube called a ureter. The bladder stores the urine until it is full, or nearly full, and is then forced out through the urethra and out of the body.

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