Dr. Parsons Discusses the Link Between Exercise and Bladder Cancer Risk

J. Kellogg Parsons, MD, associate professor of surgery (urology), University of California, San Diego, discusses modifiable lifestyle factors associated with bladder cancer.

Parsons says there has been no literature, to his knowledge, on physical activity and the risk of bladder cancer mortality. In order to examine this, researchers looked at a large data set of individuals in the U.S. who had completed a comprehensive health survey at baseline that included obesity, physical activity, and smoking.

Parsons and his team found that participants who had any amount of physical activity were half as likely to die of bladder cancer than patients who had very little or no physical activity.

By designing studies relating to exercise and patients diagnosed with bladder cancer, researchers could potentially reduce patients’ risk of bladder cancer mortality, Parsons says.

​