Smoking Causes More Than Lung Cancer

By Anshu Guleria, MD

Prince William Urology Associates

. http://www.guleriaurologyassociates.com/

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Smoking Causes More Than Lung Cancer

The classic New Year’s resolutions are to diet and quit smoking. In case anyone needs help to rationalize smoking cessation, here are two lesser-known cancers related to smoking.

Bladder Cancer

Smoking is the strongest risk factor for bladder cancer. Smokers develop bladder cancer twice as often as non-smokers. Other established risk factors of bladder cancer are

• Chemical exposure
• Ethnicity
• Age
• Gender
• Family history
• History of chronic bladder infection
• Bladder birth defects
• Not drinking enough liquids
• Previously having bladder cancer

Bladder Cancer Prevention

The most important preventive measures are to refrain from smoking and to take recommended caution with chemicals. Patients who quit smoking have a much lower recurrence rate than those who continue to smoke.

Drinking plenty of liquids, especially water, dilutes toxic substances that may be found in a concentrated form in urine and flushes them out of the bladder more quickly. Since arsenic is known to affect bladder cancer, household wells and other private water supplies should be tested for high arsenic levels.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may also reduce the risk of bladder cancer.

Treatment

If discovered and treated early, bladder cancer has a high cure-rate. Treatment of bladder cancer depends on a number of factors, including the type and stage of the cancer, overall health and treatment preferences.

Most people undergo surgery to remove the cancer and surrounding tissue.

If the tumor has invaded nearby tissue, the whole bladder may be removed and reconstructive surgery performed so that urine can be expelled. If further treatment is required, it may include chemotherapy, radiation and/or immunotherapy (aimed at stimulating the immune system to fight the remaining cancer cells).

Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer develops most often in people over 40, but no one knows the exact causes of this disease. Each year in the United States, about 20,000 men and 12,000 women learn they have kidney cancer. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor. Cigarette smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop kidney cancer. Studies have also found these additional risk factors for kidney cancer

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome
• Occupation
• Gender

Most people who have these risk factors do not get kidney cancer.

On the other hand, most people who do get the disease have no known risk factors. Early stage cancers are very curable with surgery. Late stage kidney cancers have a poor prognosis. People who think they may be at risk for either kidney or bladder cancer should discuss this concern with their doctor. The doctor may be able to suggest ways to reduce the risk and can plan an appropriate schedule for checkups.