Urinary tract infections and reduced risk of bladder cancer in Los Angeles.
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.
Jiang
X
X
Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, USA. xuejuanj@usc.edu
Castelao
J E
JE
Groshen
S
S
Cortessis
V K
VK
Shibata
D
D
Conti
D V
DV
Yuan
J-M
JM
Pike
M C
MC
Gago-Dominguez
M
M
D000328:Adult; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*