Screening and Prevention

Screening

Screening tests are used to identify cancers very early, when the possibility of successful treatment is highest. Finding cancer early improves your chances that it can be treated successfully.

Some doctors recommend bladder cancer screening for people at very high risk, including:

• People who have had bladder cancer before
• People who have certain birth defects in the bladder
• People who have been exposed to certain chemicals at work

There is no standard screening test for bladder cancer. But doctors usually screen people at high risk of this disease in two ways:

• Urine cytology - Examining the urine for cancer cells under a microscope. Blood in the urine is often the first sign of bladder cancer. Although large amounts of blood are readily visible, small amounts can be found by looking at the urine under a microscope or using a simple chemical test. Blood in the urine is usually caused by harmless conditions, such as infections, but a small percentage of people with blood in their urine have bladder cancer.
• Cystoscopy - A procedure to look inside the bladder and urethra for abnormal areas. A cystoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the urethra into the bladder. The doctor may take some tissue samples for a biopsy.

If you don't have any known risk factors, the best way to make sure that bladder cancer is found in its earliest, most treatable stages is to consult your doctor if you think you might have bladder cancer.

Prevention

At this time, there is no sure way to prevent bladder cancer. The best approach is to avoid risk factors as much as possible.

• Do not smoke - Smoking causes nearly half the deaths from bladder cancer among men and more than a third among women.
• Avoid being exposed to certain chemicals - If you work with a class of chemicals called aromatic amines (used to make dyes, rubber, leather, textiles, printing materials, and paint products), be sure to follow good work safety practices.
• Drink plenty of liquids - Drinking enough water and other fluids makes you urinate more often and this helps flush cancer-causing chemicals from your bladder. The American Cancer Society recommends drinking several glasses of water or other nonalcoholic beverages every day.
• Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables - A diet that routinely includes several servings each week of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables appears to protect people from bladder cancer.
• Treat bladder infections - People with chronic or frequent infections are more likely to get bladder cancer than other people.
  

This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.