Bladder cancer forms in the tissues of the bladder. Most bladder cancers begin in the cells that make up the lining of the bladder and can be a result of chronic irritation and inflammation.
You may not know it, but bladder cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 70,000 Americans were diagnosed with the disease last year, and nearly 15,000 died from it. New research shows a big problem may be that almost no one gets the recommended treatment.
People who smoke are four times as prone to bladder cancer as nonsmokers. About half of bladder cancer cases in women age 50 and are now traceable to smoking, up from 20 or 30 percent in earlier decades. This finding means that women have now caught up to men in the percentage of bladder cancers attributable to cigarettes.
Tags: bladder cancer, bladder cancers, cancer awareness month, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, july bladder cancer awareness month, St. Mary's, st. mary's center for cancer and blood disorders, St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
