Metastatic Bladder Cancer and Alcohol: Is Drinking Safe?

How Alcohol Affects Metastatic Bladder Cancer

Research has not found a consistent link within entire populations, but some data suggest alcohol may raise the bladder cancer risk among specific groups, including men who are heavy drinkers.

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For people who are already living with bladder cancer, the risks of drinking depend on your individual circumstances. “For many patients, occasional light alcohol consumption may be acceptable, but it depends on several factors,” says Fernando Maciel Barbosa, MD, a medical oncologist with University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City.

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These include:

The type of treatment you’re receiving
Liver function
Medications you’re taking
Overall health

“Alcohol does not appear to directly accelerate metastatic bladder cancer progression, but it can worsen dehydration, fatigue, poor nutrition, and liver problems, all of which may affect quality of life and tolerance of treatment,” says Dr. Barbosa. “Patients recovering from surgery should generally avoid alcohol until healing is complete, since alcohol may interfere with recovery and increase certain complications.”

Alcohol can weaken your immune system and raise the risk of an infection after surgery. It may impair normal blood clotting, which can lead to excessive bleeding. It can also interfere with anesthesia.

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Ladi says alcohol also impacts how well you handle other types of metastatic bladder cancer treatment. “During chemotherapy or other systemic treatments, alcohol can sometimes make side effects such as nausea, fatigue, dehydration, or poor appetite worse,” he says.