Causes

Who is more likely to get bladder cancer

It's not always known what causes bladder cancer.

You may be more likely to get bladder cancer if:

you're over the age of 60
you're a man
you smoke or use chewing tobacco
you've had a urinary catheter in for a long time
you've had radiotherapy for cancer before
you're overweight
a close relative has had bladder cancer
you have certain conditions, such as diabetes
you've worked with chemicals, such as those used in the textile industry, or handling carbon or crude oil
you've had an infection called schistosomiasis (bilharzia)

Find out more

Cancer Research UK: risks and causes of bladder cancer

How to lower your risk of bladder cancer

You cannot always prevent bladder cancer, but there are things you can do to lower your chance of getting it.

Do

try to quit smoking
try to lose weight
wear protective clothes and masks if you work in a job where you're exposed to harmful chemicals

It's important to get any symptoms of bladder cancer checked by a GP.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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