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Bladder Cancer + Smoking?

JadaWalton

Calling all fellow community members! Do you believe smoking played a role in your bladder cancer diagnosis?

Laura MacKenzie Member

Not in my cases in my university years I was a “social smoker”, smoking a few if out with friends. However the squamous cell carcinoma bladder cancer which I had (which is rare) is caused by repeated infection and irritation to the bladder. Laura, Moderator, BladderCancer.net
Linda Urbanski Member

@jadawalton - Yes. As someone who has worked in office settings or child care the majority of my life, I believe that the fact that my father was a regular smoker and that even when smoking regulations required "non smoking" areas in public places, I had already had enough exposure that smoke very probably caused my cancer. For anyone over the age of 30, we have all had exposure so at least second hand smoke. Linda ( moderator, Bladdercancer.net team member)
Dan Franke Member

Jada, I sure do believe that I earned the cancers that I have by making a lot of poor life choices. Smoked heavy for many years, obese, sedentary, worked in nasty heavy metal industrial plants with all the bad stuff. So yeah I think so. Suppose I could just be cancer prone too? But since I have been reborn (making good choices, working out, eating and weight loss-been doing much better). Dan (moderator, BladderCancer.net.
moundtown Member

I was a heavy smoker for 35 years but had quit smoking 12 years prior to being diagnosed with bladder cancer.
1. Linda Urbanski Member
  
  Absolutely - I had not prior health issues. My jobs have always been office settings even though I worked in manufacturing most of my life, I did not work around chemicals or other normal factors for bladder cancer. But my father was a heavy smoker and so I was around second hand smoke for many many years. I was fortunate to have it discovered at stage 1 and at a later age. Linda ( moderator, Bladdercancer.net team member)
2. Jacqueline Harmon Member
  
  Yes, . In my case, we have identified the likely cause of my bladder cancer (not smoking) which began some 40 years ago. But the symptoms started about 27 years after my exposure, due to DNA mutation. Unfortunately, , you are likely experiencing the mutation of 35 years. Still, pulling for your breakthrough, though. ~Jacqueline, Moderator (BladderCancer.net, Advocate)