Urology specialist Dr. Cletus Georges uncovers common risk factors for bladder cancer and explains more about the condition and its symptoms.
With bladder cancer risk factors ranging from smoking and previous cancer treatments to a history of chronic bladder inflammation, as well as age, gender, and chemical exposure, with approximately 68,000 adults affected by the disease in the United States each year, understanding both the risk factors and symptoms is vital according to Cletus Roy Georges, MD.
“Bladder cancer is now one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers,” reveals Dr. Cletus Georges, a specialist physician focused on urology and based in Orlando, Florida, “most prevalent in men and with risk factors including smoking, a history of the disease, and past chronic bladder problems.”
Further risk factors, he says, extend to chemical exposure, exposure to arsenic, the diabetes drug pioglitazone, and Lynch syndrome, among others. “One of the most significant risk factors is gender,” adds Dr. Georges, “with men up to four times more likely to develop bladder cancer than women.”
Age-wise, more than 70% of individuals currently diagnosed with bladder cancer are aged 65 years or older, according to Dr. Georges. However, when diagnosed early, he points out, bladder cancer is considered highly treatable.
It’s for this reason, says Dr. Georges, that understanding both the risk factors and symptoms of the disease is vital. “Common bladder cancer symptoms or signs include blood in the urine, painful urination, and pain in the pelvic area,” explains the urology specialist. Other, less-specific symptoms which are also common signs of typically less serious conditions include back pain and frequent urination.
“If there’s any doubt, or a patient has any concerns surrounding bladder cancer and its risk factors or symptoms, they should seek advice from their regular primary care physician or a urology specialist at their earliest convenience,” advises Dr. Georges.
“Blood in the urine, in particular,” he adds, wrapping up, “warrants an appointment without delay, although it’s important to explore any signs or symptoms which are causing particular concern or distress.”
Cletus Roy Georges, MD graduated from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in zoology with a biomedical option in 1987. Georges subsequently attended Weill Cornell University Medical College in New York City, graduating in 1991 and completing his residency in urology at Chicago’s Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in 1997. Shortly after that, Dr. Georges started his practice in Sebring, Florida before relocating to Orlando, where he remains settled today.
