Common Risk Factors And Causes Of Cystitis

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy in the general pelvic region can cause an individual to develop cystitis in the bladder from their treatment. Most individuals who experience cystitis have been treated with radiation therapy for urogenital and pelvic cancers, such as cervical cancer and prostate cancer. It can take anywhere between a few months to several years from the time of the radiation treatment for cystitis symptoms to manifest. Radiation therapy uses high energy beams to impair the DNA of cancerous cells so they will die or stop multiplying. While radiation therapy can be an effective treatment for malignancy, it can affect healthy cells in the general vicinity of the malignancy. Any of the cells that make up the bladder can become damaged as a result of radiation exposure. Most often, cystitis is triggered by damage to the cells lining the interior wall of the bladder, or the next layer of muscular connective tissue. When radiation beams cause damage to these cells, the body responds with an inflammatory response to mediate and attempt to repair the cellular damage. This response results in swelling of the tissues and other cystitis symptoms that can last many years following radiation therapy.

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