Bladder cancer, a cancer that most commonly begins in the cells lining the bladder's interior, is diagnosed most often in older adults. Typically, it is caught at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Although research has linked bladder cancer to smoking, radiation exposure, exposure to certain harmful chemicals and even a parasite, experts do not at this time believe that coffee or other caffeine consumption is a possible cause of bladder cancer. However, results from studies involving coffee and bladder cancer have produced mixed results.
Bladder Cancer Overview
Bladder cancer is grouped according to the type of cancer cells found in your body. Transitional cell carcinoma, the most common bladder cancer, starts in the cells lining the bladder. It is less likely to be invasive, or spread to other organs, than other bladder cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and small cell bladder cancers are all much less common and are more likely to be invasive cancers.
The way your bladder cancer is treated depends on which type of bladder cancer you have and how advanced it is. Typical treatments for bladder cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy.
The American Cancer Society states that in 2010, 70,530 people were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Men have about a one in 26 chance of developing bladder cancer, and women have a chance of one in 84.
Daily Fluid Intake and Bladder Cancer
In November 1999, "American Family Physician" published results of a study that dealt with the role that the amount of fluid consumed each day plays in a patient's likelihood of being diagnosed with bladder cancer. According to the researchers, bladder cancer may be more likely to develop when carcinogenic compounds in the urine spend more time in the bladder; consuming lots of fluids could reduce the chance of bladder cancer by diluting the urine and reducing carcinogen's access to bladder tissue.
Researchers did find an association between a high intake of fluids and reduced risk of bladder cancer and did not find any association between caffeine or alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk.
Coffee Consumption and Bladder Cancer in Nonsmokers
The main issue many experts have had with studies that link coffee consumption and bladder cancer is that they did not account for other possible associations, such as smoking. An analysis of past case studies published in December 2000's "Cancer Causes Control" sought to separate those factors by looking at the coffee intake and incidence of bladder cancer in nonsmokers. They did find a very small amount of increased risk of bladder cancer in people who were heavy coffee drinkers -- drinking 10 or more cups of coffee per day. However, because of other possible study biases, the researchers concluded that the number of bladder cancers associated with coffee consumption was minute at best.
Alcohol, Coffee and Bladder Cancer
A large-scale review of past studies involving alcohol and coffee consumption and bladder cancer risk was published in the February 2009 issue of the "European Journal of Cancer Prevention." In this review, the authors reviewed past studies that had involved either or both coffee and alcohol and their association with eventual diagnosis of bladder cancer. Although several studies they examined had found a modest association between caffeine or alcohol intake and bladder cancer, the study authors concluded that these results were not accurate because of other factors not considered in those studies. As a whole, the researchers concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to indicate that coffee or alcohol intake plays a role in eventually being diagnosed with bladder cancer.
References
- American Cancer Society: Bladder Cancer Overview
- "American Family Physician"; Daily Fluid Intake and the Risk of Bladder Cancer in Men; DS Michaud et. al.; November 1999
- "Cancer Causes Control"; Coffee Consumption and Bladder Cancer in Nonsmokers: A Pooled Analysis of Case-Control Studies in European Countries; M. Sala et. al.; December 2000
- "European Journal of Cancer Prevention"; Alcohol, Coffee, and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Review of Epidemiological Studies; C. Peluchhi et. al.; February 2009
