Mortality rates are two to three times higher for men than women. While incidence rates in the white population exceed those for the black population, such is not the case for mortality where the rates are much closer together. Black women who have a lower incidence of bladder cancer than white women actually die from the disease at a greater rate. This difference in survival between black and white populations reflects the fact that in whites a larger proportion of these cancers are diagnosed at an early more treatable stage. Mortality rates for Hispanic and Asian men and women are only about one-half those for whites and blacks.
Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for urinary bladder cancer.
Most of the occupationally accrued risk is due to exposure to a group of chemicals known as arylamines. Occupations with high exposure to arylamines include dye workers, rubber workers, leather workers, truck drivers, painters, and aluminum workers. Because of this association with bladder cancer, some arylamines have been eliminated or greatly reduced in occupational settings. Coffee, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners have all been studied as risk factors for bladder cancer, but associations, if they exist, are weak. The greatest prevention strategy is reduction in the consumption of cigarettes.