Can Recurrent UTIs Be a Sign of Cancer
It’s difficult to answer the question of whether frequent UTIs can lead to a risk of bladder cancer and whether a person will receive a cancer diagnosis. That’s because the symptoms of a UTI and bladder cancer are identical.
But, one of the best things you can do to help yourself determine if you may be at risk of recurring UTIs or bladder cancer is to learn more about frequent UTIs, bladder cancer, and the preventive measures that can help you decrease your risks.
The best place to start to is with a basic explanation of how the urinary tract works.
Understanding Your Urinary Tract
The role of your urinary tract is to store and remove urine in your body. The urinary tract is made of four different parts: your kidneys, ureter, bladder, and urethra, with each part playing a different role in the process of filtering and removing liquids from the body.
What Causes a UTI and Recurrent UTI
A UTI occurs when the urinary tract gets infected. E.coli is responsible for 70% of urinary tract infections More often than not, it’s the bladder that gets infected. It’s also more common for a person with a vagina to get a UTI, but it’s possible for anyone to get a UTI.
A recurrent UTI occurs when a person gets a UTI at least twice within six months or three times within one year.
What are UTI Symptoms
UTIs and recurrent UTIs have the same five symptoms. You can experience Dysuria (pain or burning sensation when you urinate. You can experience frequent urination (needing to pee more than eight times a day.) You can experience urinary urgency – the strong sudden need to pee right away. You can experience hematuria – urine that is foul-smelling or contains blood. You have a fever of 100.4 F or higher.
Risk factors for recurrent UTIs for Women
People with vaginas are at a higher risk for recurrent urinary tract infections. Typically, a woman has helpful bacteria in her vagina that help prevent bladder infections. But, if the pH level of the vagina changes, the risk of UTI increases, more often than not because the helpful bacteria is blocked.
Menopause causes for there to be a lack of estrogen in the vagina, which, in turn, makes it easier for harmful bacteria to grow. Without estrogen it’s more difficult for the vagina to maintain a healthy microbiome. The microbiome is what makes up all that makeup all the microorganisms and viruses that live in a particular part of the body.
Bacteria introduced to the vagina during sexual intercourse is also able to lead to a UTI.
Douching – Washing or cleaning the inside of the vagina is able to lower the amount of helpful bacteria found in the vagina.
Poor rectal hygiene (not wiping well enough after pooping) is also able to lead to bacteria from the rectum being introduced to the vagina, which can later cause a urinary tract infection.
Seeing Your Healthcare Provider
When you go to see the doctor for medical advice, they will perform a variety of tests in order to rule out different possibilities for what may be causing your condition. By performing urine tests and collecting urine samples they will be able to identify any abnormalities and rule out any other conditions.
Bladder cancer and UTIs can have similar symptoms to conditions such as kidney stones, kidney infections, and bacterial infections.
A doctor’s physical will also determine if you’ll need to see a urologist, have imaging tests done, or if the doctor will need to perform a cystoscopy to examine the interior of your bladder and urethra. Depending on what the doctor learns from your initial visit, they may request a followup.
UTI Treatment
The main approach in UTI treatment is antibiotics. Introducing healthy bacteria back into your system will help your body get rid of the bad bacteria causing your UTI. Staying hydrated and avoiding irritants such as coffee and alcohol will also help in combating your UTI.
What Causes Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is a results when the cells in the bladder develop mutations (changes) in their DNA. The cancer cells tell the cells of the bladder to multiply rapidly and cause the abnormalities to form a tumor that begins to destroy normal body tissue. This damage is able to compromise the immune system. Typically, bladder cancer is able to be caught in its early stages.
Different Types of Bladder Cancer
There are three types of bladder cancer —
Urothelial carcinoma (previously known as transitional cell carcinoma) — This bladder cancer occurs in the cells that line the inside of the bladder.
Squamous cell carcinoma — This bladder cancer is associated with chronic irritation of the bladder, like from an infection or long-time use of a catheter.
Adenocarcinoma — This bladder cancer occurs in the cells that make up the mucus-secreting glands of the bladder. This is the rarest type of bladder cancer.
Risk Factors that Increase the Chances of Bladder Cancer
Though women are more likely to experience recurrent UTIs, there is also a list of risk factors that contribute to a person’s developing bladder cancer.
Smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes can increase one’s chances of developing bladder cancer. The harmful chemicals are able to collect in the urine and damage the lining of your bladder.
Age - Older adults are at an increased risk of contracting bladder cancer. Though bladder cancer can occur at any age, it typically occurs in people who are over 55.
Being a man - Though women are more likely to deal with recurrent UTIs, men are more likely to contract bladder cancer.
Exposure to chemicals - It’s believed that exposure to chemicals such as dyes, rubber, leather, textiles, and paint products are able to increase your chances of developing bladder cancer.
Previous Cancer Treatment - Having previously used the anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide increases the chance of cancer.
How Personal and Family History Effect Your Chances
When getting tested for bladder cancer, it’s important to know how your prior health and family history influence your likelihood of developing bladder cancer at a later stage of life.
The long-term use of urinary catheter can pose issues later on. The repeated use of a catheter can result in urinary infections or inflammations. (Also known as cystitis).
If you have a personal or family history of bladder cancer or other cancers, you are also more likely to contract it.
Common Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Signs of bladder cancer appear in a variety of ways.
A person can experience frequent urination, pain or burning when peeing, feeling the need to pee even when you don’t, and peeing often during the night.
Beyond this, there are also less obvious signs of bladder cancer.
These signs include —
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Lower back pain on one side of the body
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Bone pain or tenderness
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Swelling in the feet
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Urine leakage
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Pain in the abdomen
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Unintended weight loss and loss of appetite
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Fatigue.
The combination of these symptoms show that bladder cancer may not always appear in the form of urinary complications, so a person should be aware of the other physical signs of bladder cancer.
How is Bladder Cancer Diagnosed
Bladder cancer is diagnosed by first performing a noninvasive exam known as a pathology test. A doctor will first perform a urinalysis in order to examine a patient’s urine for abnormalities. The doctor will look at the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells, cancer cells, and also examine the urine for microscopic hematuria.
If the doctor discovers signs of bladder cancer, then a biopsy will be performed to determine if the patient has bladder cancer or other issues of concern.
If the pathology test is not enough to confirm if a person has bladder cancer, then the doctor will most likely request imagining tests.
There are four primary types of imagining tests —
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Intravenous pyelograms
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CT and CAT Scans
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MRIs
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Ultrasound Imaging
Each test takes a different approach toward examining the patient for bladder cancer. The tests are geared toward measuring irregularities. The different tests also check for blockages, tumors, and stones.
How Can I Reduce my Risk of Bladder Cancer
There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of bladder cancer
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Drink plenty of fluids. Doing so empties your bladder more often and stops chemicals from building up.
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Stop smoking
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Limit your exposure to chemical and dyes
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Maintain a healthy weight
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Eat a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, which contain antioxidants
Key Takeaways
Women are more susceptible to getting a UTI or recurrent UTI. But, men are more at-risk of developing bladder cancer.
Women are also more likely to get a UTI from sexual activity, poor hygiene, and the decrease of estrogen in their body as they enter into menopause.
Because bladder cancer has many symptoms that are similar to other conditions, it’s important to go see a doctor to determine what may be going on. A doctor will be able to perform a physical exam and run tests to determine if you’re showing signs of bladder cancer.
References
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Mayo Clinic - Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) - Bladder Infection (Urinary Tract Infection—UTI) in Adults
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American Cancer Society - Bladder Cancer
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Cleveland Clinic - Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
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Johns Hopkins Medicine - Bladder Cancer
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WebMD - Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
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National Cancer Institute - Bladder Cancer
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Urology Care Foundation - Bladder Cancer
