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Bladder Cancer - causes, symptoms & prognosis overview
Cancer is a disease of body cells that form organs. These cells keep on reproducing and dying in a pre-designed fashion. If this process gets out of control due to one reason or another, abnormality in cell function may result leading to tumor formation and even cancer.
Bladder is a hollow, balloon like organ which lies in the pelvic area, collects urine from the kidneys via uterus and stores it until it is emptied. The bladder wall has several layers which are very important and protect the bladder from various diseases.
Bladder cancer is a disease in which the cancerous cells start forming in the bladder. Once the cancer penetrates the layers, it becomes hard to treat the disease. Bladder cancer usually originates in the lining of the bladder consisting of a mucous layer of surface cells that expand and deflate.
What causes Bladder Cancer
• Consumption of food known to cause cancer
• Family history of bladder cancer
• Extreme radiation
• Excessive use of tobacco and smoking
• Use of certain drugs which may harm the bladder
• Certain changes in DNA can cause normal bladder cells to grow abnormally and form cancers
• Bladder cancer can be caused by DNA mutations that activate or inactivate tumor suppressor genes
Symptoms & Signs of Bladder Cancer
• Primary symptom is the presence of blood in urine known as Haematuria. The urine is dark in color depending upon the quantity of blood.
• Pain urinating
• Urge to urinate but the inability to pass it
Diagnosis
• Complete medical history taken by the doctor to identify the problem
• NMP22 Bladder Check is a urine test to detect elevated levels of a nuclear matrix protein. Production of this protein increases if bladder cancer is present.
• Urinalysis to detect microscopic Haematuria
• Urine cytology by examining cells flushed out by bladder during urination
• Urine culture to rule out urinary tract infection
• X-rays to detect bladder cancer with Intreavenous pyelogram (IVP), an imaging test to check the function of kidneys, uterus and bladder
• CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasound
• Cystoscopy and biopsy to detect abnormal cells in the bladder that cause
cancer
Bladder Cancer Treatment Options
• Surgery is a common treatment. The doctor may remove the cancer by using Transurethral Resection in which a cystoscope is inserted into the bladder and the cancer is removed.
• Segmental cystectomy is a surgery in which the cancerous part of the bladder is removed.
• Radical cystectomy is carried out to take out the bladder and the tissue around it. Lymph nodes in the pelvis may also be taken out.
• Urinary diversion is a procedure to make way for the urine to pass out of the body so it does not go through the bladder. It is used to relieve the symptoms when the tumor has spread.
• Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells taken either orally or by intravenous or muscular injections. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and kills cancer cells outside the bladder.
• Radiotherapy treats the cancer with high energy X-rays doing as little harm as possible to the surrounding healthy cells.
Prognosis
Superficial bladder cancer has a 5-year survival rate of about 85%. Invasive bladder cancer has less favorable prognosis. Approximately 5% of the patients with metastasized bladder cancer live 2 years after diagnosis. Cases of recurrent bladder cancer indicate an aggressive tumor and poor prognosis.
Prevention
Bladder cancer cannot be prevented. The best way to lower the risk is not to smoke. Studies have shown that drinking plenty of fluids daily also lowers the risk of bladder cancer.
Who is at risk?
Occurrence of bladder cancer rises with age. People over the age of 70 develop the disease 2 to 3 times more often than those aged 55–69 and 15 to 20 times more often than those aged 30–54. Bladder cancer is 2 to 3 times more common among men. In the United States, approximately 38,000 men and 15,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among men and the eighth among women.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the highest incidence of bladder cancer occurs in developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and France. Incidence is the lowest in Asia and South America where it is about 70% less than in the United States. The disease is more prevalent among Caucasians than it is among African Americans and Hispanics. |
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