Actos® Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

Actos®, which is prescribed along with a healthy diet and exercise to treat type 2 diabetes, has been linked to an increase in the risk of bladder cancer and congestive heart failure in some patients. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with bladder cancer or heart failure after being treated with Actos®, you might be eligible for financial compensation. To schedule a free review of your case, contact Flood Law Group today.

Actos® Bladder Cancer Risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added a warning to the label of Actos®, cautioning that patients taking high cumulative doses of the medication for over a year face an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. The longer a patient takes Actos®, the greater the risk, according to the FDA warning.

The interim 5-year results of a 10-year study showed that type 2 diabetes patients taking Actos® had a 41 percent increased risk of bladder cancer compared to type 2 diabetes patients not taking the drug.

Signs and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States. Last year, approximately 70,530 new patients were diagnosed with the disease. More than 12,000 persons will die from bladder cancer every year, according to estimates by the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Compared to the general U.S. population, the risk for bladder cancer is doubled in:

• Men
• Caucasians
• Smokers

Seeing blood in the urine is the symptom most bladder patients first notice. The blood is usually rusty or deep red in color. However, in some patients, blood cannot be seen with the naked eye, but is visible only under the laboratory microscope.

Aside from blood in the urine, the most common symptoms of bladder cancer are:

• Painful urination
• Frequent urination
• Feeling like you have to urinate, but being unable to

Diagnosis and Treatment for Bladder Cancer

The most common test for bladder cancer includes cystoscopy, during which a thin tube with a camera is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to see the suspicious area and to take a tissue sample to biopsy. Imaging studies with a CT scan or intravenous pyelogram also are used as well as laboratory testing of the urine to see certain types of abnormal cells. If the disease is caught early and treated, patients have an excellent prognosis. If treated before it spreads, bladder cancer has a five-year cancer-specific survival rate near 95 percent.

Treatments available for bladder cancer include:

• Surgery to remove the bladder and reconstruct a urinary diversion to allow near normal urination
• Chemotherapy to treat metastatic bladder cancer or cancer that has spread
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to battle the cancer

Contact an Actos® Bladder Cancer Attorney

Attorneys at the Flood Law Group are available to review potential Actos® bladder cancer claims. If you or a loved one has taken the diabetes medication and has been diagnosed with bladder cancer, you may be eligible for compensation. To find out if you qualify, please contact our Actos® lawyers for a free review of your case.