Bladder Cancer News Archives

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One Reason Why Bladder Cancer Hits More Men Than Women

Monday, April 23rd, 2007

Bladder cancer strikes three times as many men as women. According to a study in the April 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers discovered one reason why bladder cancer is more prevalent in men–androgen receptors, molecular proteins that are more active in men, play a key role in development of the disease. This finding could lead to new types of treatment for the disease. For more details, click here.

Early Menopause Related to Bladder Cancer Risk

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

Researchers have found that women who go through menopause at a younger age seem to be at greater risk of developing bladder cancer. The study, which was completed at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, analyzed more than 37,000 women between the ages of 55 and 69 from Iowa. The risk of bladder cancer was 32 percent higher for those women who reached menopause between the ages of 43 and 47, compared to those women who were above the age of 48. For more details, click here.

BCG/MITOMYCIN BETTER THAN BCG ALONE

Thursday, February 8th, 2007

A recent article printed in the journal “Lancet Oncology” reported that a study performed in Italy showed that administering Mitomycin C with BCG
improves the outcome compared to BCG alone.  Approximately 211 patients were divided into two groups, one receiving BCG alone, and the other receiving BCG and Electromotive Mitomycin C. At the median follow-up period of 88 months, the following results were noted:

-Those treated with BCG/Mitomycin remained cancer free for 69 months on average, compared to 21 months for the BCG-only group. This was a
difference of 4 years.
-Cancer recurred in 41.9% of BCG/Mitomycin/Patients, compared with 57.9% of BCG-only patients.
- Cancer progressed in 9.3% of BCG/Mitomyin patients compared with 21.9% of BCG-only patients. -Overall mortality was 21.5% in BCG/Mitomycin patients, compared with 32.4% of BCG-only patients
 -Mortality caused by bladder cancer was 5.6% in the BCG/Mitomycin patients, compared with 16.2% in the BCG-only group.

The researchers thus concluded that treatment with the combination of BCG and Electromotive Mitomycin C gave superior results to those treated with
BCG alone.The detailed news release may be viewed by clicking here.

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.

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