Bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is related to any kind of harmful growth of the urinary bladder as there many kinds of such growth.In this disesase unsual cells begin to increase without any control. The most common type of bladder cancer begins in cells that line inside the bladdar that is called urothelial cell caracinoma (UCC) or transitional cell caracinoma(TCC) The bladder is a small bag shaped muscular organ that is located in the pelvis and serves to store urine.

Signs and symptoms of bladder cancer

The follwing signs and symptoms are related to bladder cancer.

1. Bladder cancer typically causes blood in the urine that can be seen sometimes with naked eye it is called frank hematuria or detectable only by microscope it is also called microscopic hematuria.
2. To feel pain or burning during urination without verification of urinary tract infection.
3. To have change bladder habits, like urinate more often or feeling the strong urge to urinate without producing much urine

However these signs and symptoms are not particular to bladder cancer and can occur by non-cancerous coditions like prostate infections and cystits..

Bladder Cancer Causes

It is still unknown what causes bladder cancer; however, a number of carcinogens have been recognized that are possible reasons, chiefly in cigarette smoke. Research is centering on circumstances that change the inherited structure of cells, causing unusual cell reproduction.The following factors increase a person’s risk of developing a bladder cancer

• Smoking: Smoking is the single maximum risk factor for bladder cancer. Smokers have more than twice the risk of mounting bladder cancer as nonsmokers.
• Chemical contact at work: People who frequently work with certain chemicals or in certain industries have a higher risk of bladder cancer than the general population.
• Diet: People whose diets contain large amounts of fried meats and animal fats are considered to be at higher risk of bladder cancer.
• Aristolochia fangchi: This herb is used in some food supplements and Chinese herbal cures. Scientific studies on this herb have shown that it contains chemicals that can cause cancer in rats.

These are some factors as we can do something with them but there are also some factors as we can’t do something. Age, sex, race, history with bladder cancer and birth defects are some examples of these factors.

Different exams and tests

Like all cancers, bladder cancer can also to be successfully treated if detected early, when it is small and has not marched into other surrounding tissues.The following procedures can increase the possibility of finding a bladder cancer early:

• If you have no risk factors, pay special attention to urinary symptoms or changes in your urinary habits
• If you have risk factors, consult to your doctor about screening tests, even if you have no symptoms.
• Screening tests: Screening tests are usually performed periodically, for example, once a year or once every five years
• Medical interview: Your doctor will inquire about your medical condition, medications, work history, and habits and lifestyle. From this, he or she will get an idea of your risk for bladder cancer.
• Physical test: Your doctor may place a gloved finger into your vagina, rectum, or both to feel for any lumps that might indicate a tumor or another cause of bleeding.
• Urinalysis: This test is actually a collection of tests for irregularities in the urine such as blood, protein, and sugar (glucose). Any irregular findings should be examined with more ultimate tests.
• Urine cytology: The cells that make up the inner bladder lining regularly ignored and are poised in the urine and excreted from the body during urination.In this test, a sample of the urine is examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells that might suggest cancer.
• Cystoscopy: This is a type of endoscope. A very slim cylinder with a light and a camera on the end (cystoscope) is used to look at the inside of the bladder to examine abnormalities such as tumors.The cystoscope is placed into the bladder through the urethra. The camera sends out pictures to a video monitor, permit direct viewing of the inside of the bladder wall.

These tests are also used to spot bladder cancers in people who have symptoms. Tests like CT scan, pyelography, Biopsy, urine tests might be done if bladder cancer is suspected.
If a lump is found in the bladder, other tests like Ultrasound, Chest x-ray film, CT scan, Bone scan may be performed, either at the time of diagnosis or later, to determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Different stages of the diease

Like most cancers, the possibilities of recovery are determined by the stage of the disease. Stage mentions the size of the cancer and the level to which it has marched into the bladder wall and extended to other parts of the body. Staging is based on examining studies (such as CT scans, x-rays, or ultrasound) and biopsy results. Each stage has its own treatment options and chance for treatment. In addition, evenly vital is the grade of the bladder cancer.High-grade tumors are notably more hostile and life threatening than low-grade tumors.

• Stage CIS: Cancer that is flat and is restricted to the intimate lining of the bladder; CIS is high grade
• Stage Ta: Cancer that is limited to the most apparent mucosal layer (innermost lining) of the bladder
• Stage T1: Cancer that has entered beyond the mucosal layer into the submucosal tissue (lamina propria)
• Stage T2: Cancer that has attacked part way through the thickness of the muscular bladder wall
• Stage T3: Cancer that has marched into all the way from side to side the thickness of the muscular bladder wall and into nearby fat
• Stage T4: Cancer that has occupied nearby structures, such as the prostate, uterus, or vagina, but not to lymph nodes in the region
• Stage T1-4N1-2M1-2: Cancer that has extended to the external abdominal or pelvic wall, to lymph nodes, or to far-off organs such as the liver, lungs, or bones.

Treatment

The treatment of bladder cancer relies on the depth of tumor into the bladder wall.Unneccessary tumors (those not entering the muscle layer) can be erased by using an electrocautery device attached to a cystoscope. Immunotherapy in the kind of BCG instillation is also used to treat and avoid the recurrence of superficial tumors. BCG immunotherapyis helpful in up to 2/3 of the cases at this stage.Instillations of chemotherapy into the bladder can also be used to treat disease.

Uncured, superficial tumors may progessively start to enter the muscular wall of the bladder. Tumors that enter the bladder re quire more radical surgery where part or all of the bladder is seperated (a cystectomy) and the urinary stream is moulded.

A combination of radiation and chemotherapy can also be used to cure invasive disease. It has not yet been determined how the effectiveness of this form of treatment compares to that of radical ablative surgery.

There is fragile observational conformation from one very small study (84) to state that the concurrent use of statins is linked with failure of BCG immunotherapy.In the United States, bladder cancer is the fourth most wide spread type of cancer in men and the ninth most common cancer in women.More than 47,000 men and 16,000 women have been identified with bladder cancer each year.

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