Color Vision Deficiency Associated With Shorter Survival for Patients With Bladder Cancer

TUESDAY, Jan. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Patients with color vision deficiency (CVD) with bladder cancer have shorter survival than those without CVD, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Nature Health.

Mustafa Fattah, M.D., from the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, and colleagues examined whether patients with bladder or colorectal cancer and CVD have worse outcomes compared to matched patients without CVD using data from an electronic health records research network. Data were included for 135 patients with CVD and bladder cancer matched to 135 patients without CVD and for 187 patients with colorectal cancer and CVD matched to 187 controls.

The researchers found that patients with CVD and bladder cancer showed shorter overall survival compared with the matched patients (χ² = 4.85). No significant difference was seen between the patients with colorectal cancer with and without CVD.

“While these hypothesis-generating findings should increase clinicians” suspicion of bladder cancer among patients with CVD and nonspecific signs of malignancy (for example, weight loss and fatigue), the results should be further validated in future work to assess whether formal changes to clinical practice would be merited, such as screening patients with CVD who are at high risk for bladder cancer,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text