Many patients and physicians are expressing their concern that the drug Actos can be connected to bladder cancer. This leads new patients to ask their doctors, does Actos cause bladder cancer?

An updated FDA review concluded that the use of type-2 diabetes drugs could be linked to a higher risk of bladder cancer. Although further research studies will explore this issue in depth, the answer to the question “Does Actos cause bladder cancer?” is that the drug might be connected with a higher cancer risk.

Those patients who might be at a heightened risk of developing bladder cancer should report these conditions to their physician prior to taking the drug. The possible risk of bladder cancer associated with drugs, such as Actos, was first reported by the FDA in September 2010 and again in June 2011 based on the outcomes of a 10-year epidemiologic study.

These drugs, such as Actos, are created to improve blood sugar control for adults who have type-2 diabetes.

Does Actos Cause Bladder Cancer?

Unfortunately, however, some of these patients began to develop side effects that they believe led to a bladder cancer diagnosis. The 10-year study identified a slightly higher risk for those patients who have the longest exposure times and the highest cumulative doses of Actos.

Anyone who has any risk factors, such as a previous diagnosis of bladder cancer, should be wary of using Actos.

Many older patients struggle with this medication because they have trouble flushing the drugs out of their kidneys before the medications accumulate at toxic levels which could cause problematic side effects, according to the AARP. Those patients who believe they could have bladder cancer are encouraged to report these symptoms immediately to their medical professional.

What is Bladder Cancer?

Bladder cancer tends to affect men much more frequently than women and is in fact, the fourth most common cancer type in men.

The average age for a patient to be diagnosed with bladder cancer is 73. Many of the symptoms of bladder cancer relate to urination issues, such as pain during urination, a feeling of urination urgency, frequent urination or blood in the urine.

The sooner that a patient reports these side effects to a doctor, the higher his or her chances are of having many treatment options that could reduce or address the cancer. And the sooner that a patient can be diagnosed with bladder cancer, the easier it will be for him or her to receive a treatment plan that gives them the best possible recovery chances.

Testing is often used by medical professionals to determine whether or not a patient has bladder cancer. Testing options such as a biopsy, advanced genomic testing and x-rays are used to identify the extent and type of the disease.

Some patients who have already used the drug Actos allege that the manufacturer failed to warn them about the bladder cancer risk until it was too late.