The bladder cancer is one of the most common in France. It affects men 4 times more than women, and is most often diagnosed around 70 years old. Apart from age and sex, other risk factors are proven, including one in particular: tobacco.
Smoking is indeed the first risk factor for bladder cancer. He is responsible for about half of the cases, especially in men who smoke more than women. But as the latter smoke more and more, they are increasingly affected by bladder cancer. Today, among the 18-75 year olds, around 20 % of women and 25 % of men are daily smokers according to Public Health France.
In addition to having a higher risk of lung disease, cardiovascular, lung cancer or breast, smokers therefore have a considerably greater risk of suffering from bladder cancer. “Smokers have a 5.5 times greater risk of developing bladder cancer than non-smokers,” said the ARC foundation for cancer research. The greater the consumption and duration of smoking, the more the risk is.
But how can we explain this link between tobacco and bladder cancer? “Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals” recalls the Cancer Léon Bérard Cancer Center. These substances, some of which are very toxic, are inhaled, then pass into the blood, are then filtered by the kidneys and end up in the bladder, where they are stored before being eliminated in the urine.
Apart from tobacco, bladder cancer can also be due to professional risk factors, which represent a significant part of the cases. This is exposure to certain substances used in tar industry, tires, textiles, cosmetics, or even pesticides. Certain drugs and radiotherapy have also been associated with bladder cancer.
The best way to avoid developing bladder cancer – and other diseases associated with smoking – is not to smoke, or to stop. “A few years after abandonment, their risk of developing bladder cancer decreases by about half. If a person has stopped smoking for 25 years or more, their risk is the same as that of a person who has never smoked,” the Canadian Ministry of Health said.
