Title: Urinary tract infections and reduced risk of bladder cancer in Los Angeles.

Authors: Jiang, X; Castelao, J E; Groshen, S; Cortessis, V K; Shibata, D; Conti, D V; Yuan, J-M; Pike, M C; Gago-Dominguez, M

Published In Br J Cancer, (2009 Mar 10)

Abstract: We investigated the association between urinary tract infections (UTIs) and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in a population-based case-control study in Los Angeles covering 1586 cases and age-, gender-, and race-matched neighbourhood controls. A history of bladder infection was associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer among women (odds ratio (OR), 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.46-0.96). No effect was found in men, perhaps due to power limitations. A greater reduction in bladder cancer risk was observed among women with multiple infections (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.78). Exclusion of subjects with a history of diabetes, kidney or bladder stones did not change the inverse association. A history of kidney infections was not associated with bladder cancer risk, but there was a weak association between a history of other UTIs and slightly increased risk among men. Our results suggest that a history of bladder infection is associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer among women. Cytotoxicity from antibiotics commonly used to treat bladder infections is proposed as one possible explanation.

PubMed ID: 19174821

MeSH Terms: Adult; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/epidemiology*; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/etiology*; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology; Case-Control Studies; Down-Regulation; Female; Humans; Los Angeles/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Sex Characteristics; Smoking/epidemiology; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/etiology*; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology; Urinary Tract Infections/epidemiology*