Bladder Cancer News Archives

« More News Stories      Go Back »

Scientists Establish Link Between Gonorrhea and Bladder Cancer

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007

New research suggests that men who have contracted the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea in their past are at a greater risk to have bladder cancer. After analyzing the histories of 286 bladder cancer patients, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health confirmed a link between the sexually transmitted infection and cancer. The severity and frequency of the gonorrhea symptoms may affect the severity of the risk. This study was published in the British Journal of Cancer. For more details, click here.

Childhood Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Linked to Bladder Cancer

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

A recently released study in the International Journal of Cancer suggests that children and adolescents may be even more susceptible to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke than adults. Results from the study, partially funded by Cancer Research UK, suggest that exposure to secondhand smoke at a young age increases the risk of bladder cancer in later life.  The research team looked at data from nearly 430,000 people and found that exposure to secondhand smoke during childhood was associated with an almost 40 per cent increased risk of bladder cancer in later life compared to no exposure.  The researchers also found that for every five years later in life that people started smoking, their risk of developing bladder cancer was reduced by 19 per cent. This suggests that the younger a person is when they take up smoking, the greater their risk of the disease. For the complete text of this article, please click here.

Use of Personal Permanent Hair Dye Is Not Linked to Bladder Cancer Risk

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

An occupational exposure to hair dyes by hairdressers and barbers has been shown to increase their bladder cancer risk. Hair dyes contain small amounts of aromatic amines, which are shown to be carcinogenic in animals. However, in the September 2006 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, researchers from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report that personal use of hair dyes does not increase the risk of bladder cancer. For more information on this study, please click here.

Frequent Bacon Consumption Linked to Elevated Risk of Bladder Cancer

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

Doctors at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that people who ate bacon five times a week or more were nearly 60 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer. Some meat products contain nitrosamines, which are known to cause the cancer, according to a report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. But the studies that have attempted to investigate the meat-bladder cancer link have been small and most have not separated out the effects of different types of meat. This  study looked at data for 47,422 men and 88,471 women. People who ate bacon and other processed meats frequently were also more likely to smoke and to take in more fat and fewer vitamins, the researchers found. They were also less likely to exercise.  For a copy of the report, please click here.

EU Bans 22 Hair Dye Substances to Ensure Safety

Monday, July 24th, 2006

The European Commission recently banned 22 chemicals used in permanent hair dyes because of evidence that long-term use of these chemical may be associated with development of bladder cancer.  This ban becomes effective December 1, 2006.  According to news reports, most of the banned substances no longer are used in hair dyes.  For more details, please click here.

New Study Shows Benefit of Urovysion DNA Test

Monday, July 24th, 2006

A study published in the July 2006 edition of Journal of Urology has shown that UroVysion, a DNA-based urine test that detects important genetic changes in bladder cells, has almost twice the sensitivity of conventional urine cytology tests as an aid for the initial diagnosis of bladder cancer in patients with hematuria (blood in their urine) suspected of having bladder cancer. Sensitivity refers to the likelihood that a patient with bladder cancer will have a positive test result and is a standard indicator of the predictive value of a diagnostic test.

The study involved 497 patients, all of whom had confirmed hematuria within three months of enrollment.  The results showed that UroVysion detected 69% of bladder tumors, while cytology detected 38%.  When low grade, low stage tumors were excluded, UroVysion detected 83% of the cases, while cytology detected only 50%.  In addition, the “negative predictive value” or probability that negative UroVysion results were not associated with bladder cancer wad 98.5%.  Dr. Michael Sarosdy, lead investigator for this study stated, “These data certainly argue strongly for the use of the UroVysion assay, particularly if urine cytology results are negative.”  For the complete text of the article, please click here.

Intravesical Taxotere Effective in Recurrent Non-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Monday, July 24th, 2006

According to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, administration of the chemotherapy agent Taxotere (docetaxel) directly into the bladder appears to be an effective treatment option for patients with non-invasive bladder cancer that has recurred following standard therapies.

Patients with non-invasive bladder cancer are routinely treated with surgical removal of the cancer and often times, additional therapy placed directly into the bladder (intravesical) to decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or progression to more invasive disease.  The standard treatments have been mitomycin C or BCG, which is an immunotherapy agent derived from a weaned form of bacterium related to bacteria that cause tuberculosis.  While these therapies are beneficial, recurrences are common.

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate intravesical administration of Taxotere in patients with recurrent noninvasive bladder cancer.  The trial included 18 patients who had received at least one prior intravesical treatment for their disease. 56% of patients had no evidence of cancer following treatment with intravesical Taxotere.  Those who did experience a cancer recurrence did not experience progression of their cancer, and no severe side effects were reported.  The researchers concluded that intravesical administration with Taxotere appears to provide an effective treatment alternative for patients with non-invasive disease whose cancer has recurred following prior therapies.  For the complete text of this article, please click here.

Repeated Surgery May Benefit Patients with Stage I Bladder Cancer

Friday, May 26th, 2006

According to a Turkish study recently published in The Journal of Urology,  repeated transurethral resection (TUR) among patients with Stage I bladder cancer may improve patient outcomes.  Stage I bladder cancer refers to cancer that has spread to the connective tissue just beneath the inner lining of the bladder, but does not involve the bladder muscle.  Patients with State I bladder cancer are often treated with TUR (removal of the tumor using an instrument passed through the urethra) and adjuvant therapy to decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or progression to more invasive disease.  Adjuvant therapy often involves intravesical therapy (placement of the drug directly into the bladder) with mitomycin or BCG.

Although this therapy is beneficial, recurrences of bladder tumors are common.  The researchers in Turkey evaluated the effect of repeated TUR to determine if the procedure would reduce the risk of recurrence.  In the study which involved 148 patients with newly diagnosed Stage I bladder cancer, 26% of the patients who received repeated TURs (performed two to six weeks apart) experienced a cancer recurrence, compared to 63% of patients who received on a single TUR.  The benefit of repeated TU was most apparant for patients with high grade tumors (grade 2 or grade 3).  Overall survival, however, was similar in the two groups.  For more details, please click here.

Cell Genesys Announces Results for New Bladder Cancer Drug

Friday, May 26th, 2006

Cell Genesys recently announced results of a Phase 1 trial indicating that CG0070 is safe and may have anti-tumor activity in bladder cancer patients.  In the trial, which was presented at the AUA meeting in Atlanta, nine bladder cancer patients who failed on the current standard therapy were treated with CG0070.  Three patients had a complete response at follow-up cystoscopy, indicating that the oncolytic virus-based therapy has anti-tumor activity.  Joseph Vallner, President and CEO of Cell Genesys stated “We. . . believe that this study strongly supports advancement of CG0070 into a multiple-dose phase 1 trial.  We are optimistic that the dual mechanism of action of CG0070 might result in enhanced local anti-tumor activity as well as potential systemic anti-tumor immunity following local administration.”  For the text of the article, click here.

Cystectomy v. BCG for T1 High Grade Bladder Cancer: The Debate Continues

Friday, May 26th, 2006

At the annual meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology, held in Atlanta during the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, well-known bladder cancer experts discussed the question of whether T1high grade bladder cancer should be treated by cystectomy or by BCG.  The session was moderated by Dr. Seth Lerner, Baylor College of Medicine, who noted in his introduction that the presence of CIS (carcinoma in situ)worsens the prognosis of high grade T1 disease.

Dr. Mark Soloway, University of Miami School of Medicine, presented the argument for managing stage T1 bladder cancer with intervesical BCG therapy.  According to Dr. Soloway, cystectomy for stage T1 disease is over-treated in 25-40% of patients. But Dr. Soloway also cited data on 319 of his patients who had cystectomy, 30 % of which were not organ confined.  According to Dr. Soloway, this serves as evidence that doctors are currently waiting too long to treat many patients. Better patient selection through re-resection will help to identify patients at risk for progression or understaging.  Dr. Soloway cited the excellent response rates to BCG in these types of tumors and that a significant percentage of these patients would never need to go on to cystectomy.  Dr. Soloway also referred to the data on BCG maintenance therapy and its role in decreasing tumor progression.

Dr. Eila Skinner, USC Norris Cancer Center presented the case for management of stage T1 bladder cancer with cyctectomy.  She discussed the risks of understaging T1 disease and the fact that metastatic bladder cancer is not curable.  Dr. Skinner was concerned that BCG may delay recurrence but may not impact long-term cancer specific survival.  According to Dr. Skinner, the USC series for patients who had cystectomy shows that the survival curves for T1 and T2 tumors are extremely similar.  As such, she felt that these types of tumors are similar and should be treated the same.  For more details, click here.

« More News Stories      Go Back »