How To Reduce Your Risk of Bladder Cancer

Cancer of the urinary bladder may not be something you worry about. But would it surprise you to know that this is the fourth most common cancer among men and 8th among women? In the US, 39,200 men and 15,100 women will get bladder cancer this year. Treatment generally involves surgery and/or chemotherapy. Clearly, this is a disease it would be very nice to avoid. But is there any way to do so?

The answer is, Yes. First of all, don't smoke. By conservative estimates, smoking doubles the risk of bladder cancer and is responsible for about 47 percent of bladder cancer deaths among men and 37 percent among women.

If you are totally addicted to tobacco, and can't stop, here is an odd-sounding suggestion: drink coffee. The caffeine in coffee somehow dilutes the bad effects of tobacco. A recent study of 500 people with bladder cancer found that smokers who do not drink coffee were seven times more likely to develop bladder cancers than non-smokers. But coffee-drinking smokers were "only" at three times greater risk. Coffee drinking in the absence of smoke is not beneficial.

A better way to decrease your risk of bladder cancer is to increase the intake of fluids, particularly water. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, showed that men who drank ten glasses of fluids per day had just half the risk of bladder cancer as men who drank just six cups.

By increasing your fluid intake, you naturally urinate more copiously and frequently: this flushes cancer-causing substances from your system. Water is the most effective liquid of all. Needless to say, it should be pure and devoid of chemical, biological or mineral residues.

The effect of tea on bladder cancer risk is uncertain studies point in contradictory directions. But a study from France (where else?) did suggest that drinking wine might have a protective effect.

And what about foods that decrease risk? Fruits and vegetables in general are helpful, but two vegetables in particular jump out from the statistics: broccoli and cabbage. A high intake of these two cruciferous veggies cuts the risk of bladder cancer in half. Vitamin C and vitamin E supplements also are helpful.

Improvements to Our Website

After weeks of behind-the-scenes work, our intrepid webmaster, Charla Blevins, has "gone live" with two new sections of our CancerDecisions.com website. One is an archive of all the back issues of this weekly newsletter. The second is a new Health Professionals section. It contains a variety of documents of interest to those who care for cancer patients. There is information about my upcoming course on complementary cancer treatments at Jefferson University in Philadelphia this November; all the back issues of my "War on Cancer" column from the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients; and a selection of my speeches and articles. For instance, we have posted my speech to the IABC conference in Helsinger, Denmark this summer as well as my testimony before Rep. Burton's Congressional committee in 1998. All of these new sections are freely available to all.

In fact, the only section of our website that has limited access is the Members Area. When people join the Moss Reports as members they receive a password to this section. This gives them access to a growing library of questions and answers, as well as the ability to ask new questions. They also have access to the current and archived Monthly Updates (as well as access to my monthly phone updates). For some people, this is the most valuable part of their membership.

Here at the Moss Reports

In the wake of the terror attacks, we are moving our main office from Brooklyn, New York to central Pennsylvania. Our website and toll-free phone number are unaffected. But Anne Beattie will have a new office number.

If you need help in making treatment decisions we are here to help. We have 209 reports on various cancer diagnoses. Clients can also arrange for phone consultations. To order a report or schedule a consultation please call our coordinator Diane Galbo at 800-980-1234. Or you can order at our website, www.cancerdecisions.com.

Till next week...Best wishes for your safety, good health and peace of mind!

Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.