Bladder Cancer: latency period and symptoms

A critical characteristic of bladder cancer is the long lag time, or "latency period", between the exposure to benzidine dyes and the onset of bladder cancer. It can be five to ten years, or as long as fifty years, after a person's first exposure to benzidine dyes before bladder cancer develops. Because of this long latency period, workers and other people exposed to benzidine dyes many years ago are still at risk today to develop bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in United States, with more than 50,000 new bladder cancer cases diagnosed each year. Approximately 10,000 of the new bladder cancer cases each year are the result of work place exposures to hazardous chemicals, including benzidine dyes. Most people are between 50 and 70 years of age by the time they are diagnosed with bladder cancer. Men are three times more likely than women to develop bladder cancer.

For every person who has been exposed to any textile dyes in the past, it is very important to watch for early indications or symptoms of bladder cancer. The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. This may appear subtly with no apparent cause, and sometimes without pain. The urine color may vary from faintly rusty to deep red, depending on the amount of blood. It may be present some days and not others, and the blood may disappear form the urine for weeks or months. Be sure to understand that the presence of blood in the urine does not necessarily indicate bladder cancer. Other symptoms of bladder cancer one should pay attention to are a burning sensation when urinating, frequent urination, and feeling the need to urinate but nothing comes out.

There are, of course, other possible medical causes for each of these symptoms; instead of bladder cancer, a person could have an infection in the bladder, or kidney stones. However, if a person is experiencing any of these symptoms it is advisable for them to see a doctor as soon as possible to find out the actual cause of the symptoms.

When visiting a doctor's office for the purpose of having any of these symptoms checked out, one must be sure to tell the doctor the particular facts concerning their exposure to textile dyes, whether it was from working in the dyehouse or from dye dust when washing a worker's clothes.

Finally, even if one does not have any symptoms yet, it is good practice for one to tell their general doctor about their past exposure to textile dyes. Given the benefit of this information, the doctor will be in a better position to find any early indications of bladder cancer.

More about benzidine on our Benzidine Information Page