Certain Ecologic Factors Associated with Greater Risk of Bladder Cancer

	Tweet

Persons drinking well water (as opposed to public supply) may be at an increased risk of bladder cancer, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Researchers will present data about the relationship between bladder cancer and certain ecologic factors including water source and UV radiation levels at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).

From these results, researchers hypothesized that increased bladder cancer risks from well water may arise from pesticide contamination, which may be present in drinking water from unmonitored domestic wells. Researchers also identified solar UV radiation as the best predictor of bladder cancer incidence and mortality in men, and solar UV radiation and smoking as the best predictors of incidence and mortality in women.

Because bladder cancer rates vary among states in the United States, and the causes for these variations are largely uncertain, researchers sought to compare bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates in the country to ecological factors that may have an association. The study compared bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates for men and women in the United States to levels of former cigarette smoking, solar UV radiation and well water as a source of drinking, as opposed to public supply. Lack of health insurance and median family income were taken into account to adjust for access to healthcare and socioeconomic status. 

Researchers obtained cigarette smoking levels and health insurance statuses from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual survey sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for health tracking; state-specific solar UV radiation levels from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); well water usage among states from the U.S. Geological Survey; and family income from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The study reaffirmed that cigarette smoking is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates in men and women, and found that well water intake is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence in women and mortality rates in both sexes; and that exposure to solar UV radiation is inversely associated with bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates in both sexes.

“Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor associated with bladder cancer but sources such as the patient’s water supply are coming to light as potential unmonitored risk factors,” said J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, an AUA spokesman.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Experts are available to discuss these studies outside normal briefing times.

Colli, J; Knox, M; Clayton, D; Martin, B; Waits, J; Amling, C. Bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates compared to ecologic factors in the United States. J Urol, suppl. 2009: 181, 4, abstract 460.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 16,000 members throughout the world. An educational nonprofit organization, the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs for members and their patients.

Source: American Urological Association (AUA)

RELATED STORIES:
Home urine testing cuts bladder cancer deaths   Selenium May Prevent High Risk-Bladder Cancer   Women in nursing homes often have bladder problems   Survivors of Childhood Cancers Treated with Cyclophosphamide More Likely to Develop Bladder Cancer   Radiation does not improve survival for rare, invasive bladder cancer   Bladder cancer patients rarely receive recommended care   New Biomarker Test Could Predict Outcome for Bladder Cancer Patients   The Predictors of Local Recurrence After Radical Cystectomy in Patients with Invasive Bladder Cancer   Researcher Says Improved Detection of Bladder Tumors Reduces Cancer Recurrence   UT Southwestern researchers investigate high-risk populations for bladder-cancer screenings   More Intense Bladder Cancer Treatment Does Not Improve Survival   Arsenic cancer risk still high decades later in Chile region   Retired firefighters could be at increased risk for developing bladder cancer   Stanford computer algorithm used to identify bladder cancer marker   Gene test shows which bladder cancer patients may have cancer spread   Measurement of Urinary Protein Can Help Detect Recurrent Bladder Cancer   Robotic Surgery Extends Benefits to Bladder Cancer Patients   Scientists find one reason why bladder cancer hits more men   Protein Key to Bladder Cancer Spread, Potential Drug Target   Variation in prostate stem cell antigen gene raises bladder cancer risk   New made-in-Canada therapy for bladder cancer shows promising results   Delaying bladder cancer surgery increases mortality

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]