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A bladder is the hollow, muscular organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Urinary Bladder cancer starts when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow out of control. As more cancer cells develop, they can form a tumor and with time, spread to other parts of the body. It affects men more frequently rather than a woman. Though it affects older adults, it can happen at any age. Let’s see here about the Bladder Cancer symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Bladder Cancer Symptoms In Male and Female:
The symptoms of bladder cancer are:
- Blood in urine (hematuria)
- Painful urination
- Pelvic pain
- Back pain
- Frequent urination
When you have hematuria, your urine may appear bright red or cola colored. Sometimes, urine may not look any different, but blood in urine may be detected during a microscopic exam of the urine. Sometimes these symptoms can occur because of something other than bladder cancer. But it is ideal that you consult your doctor when you have these symptoms.
Causes:
Below is the list of Causes of bladder cancer:
- Smoking and other tobacco use
- Exposure to chemicals especially working in a job that requires exposure to chemicals
- Past radiation exposure
- Chronic irritation of the lining of the bladder
- Parasitic infections
Types of Urinary Bladder Cancer:
Depending upon the type of bladder cell where cancer begins determines the type of bladder cancer and they are:
- Urothelial carcinoma: This is otherwise called as transitional cell carcinoma which occurs in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. Urothelial cells expand when your bladder is full and contract when your bladder is empty. These cells only line the inside of the ureters and the urethra and the tumors form in those places.
- Squamous cell carcinoma: Squamous cell carcinoma is associated with chronic irritation of the bladder for instance from an infection or from long term use of a urinary catheter. It is more common in parts of the world where a certain parasitic infection (schistosomiasis) is a common cause for bladder infections.
- Adenocarcinoma: It begins in the cells that make up mucus-secreting glands in the bladder.
Some bladder cancers include more than one type of cell.
Bladder Cancer Treatment:
The Urinary Bladder Cancer Treatment depends on a number of factors including the type of cancer, grade of cancer and stage of cancer. The treatment may include the following:
- Surgery: To remove cancerous tissue
- Chemotherapy in the bladder (intravesical chemotherapy): to treat tumors that are confined to the lining of the bladder but have a high risk of recurrence or progression to a higher stage.
- Reconstruction: to create a new way for urine to exit the body after the removal of the bladder.
- Chemotherapy for the whole body (systemic chemotherapy): to increase the chance for a cure in a person having surgery to remove the bladder or as a primary treatment in cases where surgery isn’t an option.
- Radiation therapy: to destroy cancer cells often as a primary treatment in cases where surgery isn’t an option or isn’t desired.
- Immunotherapy: to trigger the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells either in the bladder or throughout the body.
Your doctor might suggest a combination of treatment based on the nature of your urinary bladder cancer. Get in touch with your doctor today to get the best quality treatment for your urinary bladder cancer.
