From Lisa Fayed,
Your Guide to Cancer.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

At this time, researchers don't know exactly what causes bladder cancer. They have identified several bladder cancer risk factors. A risk factor is something that increases the chance that you may develop a disease.

Known risk factors for bladder cancer include:

• Second hand smoke exposure
  
  
• Race (Caucasians develop the disease more frequently)
  
  
• Gender (males develop the disease more frequently than females
  
  
• Family history of bladder cancer
  
  
• A diet that is high in saturated fat
  
  
• Recurrent urinary tract infections
  
  
• Recurrent urinary stones
  
  
• Chronic inflammation of the bladder
  
  
• Cigarette smoking (smoking is attributed to more than half of cases of bladder cancer)
  
  
• Infection of a parasite called schistosoma haematobium
  
  
• External beam radiation
  
  
• Use of Aristolochia fangchi ( an herb used frequently in weigh loss products)