Bladder, Kidney Cancer Rates Lower in Younger Servicemembers vs. Civilians

BETHESDA, MD — Younger military servicemembers have lower rates of bladder and kidney cancer than a similar civilian cohort, but that appears to change with age.

A new study from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation of the Advancement of Military Medicine and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, all in Bethesda, MD, suggested the military population might differ from the general population in factors related to bladder and kidney cancers.

“However, incidence rates of these cancers have not been systematically compared between the two populations,” the investigators added. “This study compared incidence rates of bladder and kidney cancers between active-duty servicemen and men in the general U.S. population.”

Data were obtained from the DoD’s Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR) and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The study team included 18- 59-year-old active-duty servicemen in ACTUR and men in SEER who were diagnosed with malignant bladder and kidney cancers from 1990 to 2013. Age-adjusted rates, incidence rate ratios (IRR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were compared between the two populations by age, race and cancer stage.

Results published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention indicate that incidence rates were lower in ACTUR than SEER for bladder cancer overall (IRR = 0.55, 95% CI, 0.48-0.62) and by age (except for ages 50-59), race and tumor stage.¹

“For ages 50-59, rates did not differ between the populations. Kidney cancer incidence rates were lower in the military for younger groups and Black men, but higher for ages 50-59,” the authors advised.

They noted, “Lower bladder and kidney cancer incidence in ACTUR, notably in younger men, may be primarily associated with better health and healthcare access. The lack of differences in bladder or kidney cancer incidence among 50-59-year-old men between the populations might result from multifactorial effects, such as the possible effects of cumulative military-related exposures offset by healthier status and better medical care.”

1. Bytnar JA, McGlynn KA, Kern SQ, Shriver CD, Zhu K. Incidence rates of bladder and kidney cancers among US military servicemen: comparison with the rates in the general US population. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2024 Mar 22. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000886. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38568164.