Gonorrhoea bladder cancer link confirmed

Men who have previously had gonorrhoea are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer, new research has shown.

A team at the Harvard School of Public Health analysed 286 cases of bladder cancer and found a strong link with the sexually transmitted disease.

Lead study author Dr Dominique Michaud, assistant professor of epidemiology, said that it was the first time that a link had been confirmed using a prospective study, in which the cases chosen for the research had full gonorrhoea histories before the study began.

“Gonorrhoea is an infection that often recurs, causing local inflammation and symptoms such as incomplete emptying of the bladder,” she explained.

“The inflammation itself or the associated symptoms could be contributing to the development of bladder cancer.

“The severity and frequency of these symptoms may dictate the extent of the increased risk.”

Gonorrhoea is the second most commonly diagnosed bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK, while bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer among British men, with over 7,000 new cases each year.

The new research will therefore give men an added incentive to keep an eye on their sexual health and take steps to reduce their risk of contracting gonorrhoea.