In cancer of the bladder, certain harmful cells invade the bladder and destroy healthy cells, which cause the bladder not to function properly.
The bladder is a hollow organ that stores urine as it is filtered from the kidneys. The flexible bladder wall is made up of three layers, allowing the bladder to expand and contract as needed. Almost half of all newly diagnosed bladder cancers are found to have not spread past the epithelial lining, the innermost layer of the wall.
Bladder cancer is the fourth leading cause of new cancer cases in Canadian men, and is the 10th most common cause of new cancer among women. It is diagnosed more often in men as in women, and it is seen in Caucasians more often than in those of African descent.
Because of early diagnosis and better treatments, the mortality rates for this disease have been falling significantly over the last 25 years.
The actual cause of bladder cancer is unknown, but there are some proven risk factors. They include:
Like most cancers, bladder cancer can be treated by surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of therapies. The choice of treatment depends on the location and the staging of the cancer.
Surgery
When bladder cancer is caught early, a transurethral resection of all visible bladder tumour (TURBT) can be done. Using a cystoscope, the doctor uses a special tool to burn away the cancerous cells inside the bladder. The advantage of this treatment is that the bladder stays intact and people can still urinate normally after the procedure.
Surgery to remove the bladder is called a cystectomy. If the cancer has invaded through the bladder wall, or if it covers a large portion of the bladder, surgeons generally choose this surgery over TUR.
In women, removing the bladder usually involves also removing the uterus (hysterectomy), fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the vagina. If the woman is young, the ovaries might be left intact so that she won’t have early menopause. For men, the prostate and the seminal vesicles (the glands that produce semen) must usually be removed along with the bladder.
Occasionally, an operation called a segmental cystectomy may be performed if the cancer is limited to a small part of the bladder wall. This surgery doesn’t remove the entire bladder, so people can still urinate normally afterward.
Radiotherapy
There are two types of radiotherapy used to treat bladder cancer: internal and external.
External radiotherapy aims radiation directly at the cancer cells in the bladder. It may be done prior to surgery to shrink the size of the tumour, or after the surgery along with chemotherapy.
Internal radiotherapy is another type of radiotherapy that is less commonly performed for treating bladder cancer, but may remain an option for some individuals. This is done by inserting radiation implants directly into the bladder, and usually requires a hospital stay. Visitors might not be allowed – this is to avoid exposing them to the radiation coming from the person being treated. Once the implants are removed, no more radiation is released and the person can return home from the hospital.
The side effects of radiotherapy are usually temporary, and they include:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can be used alone or in combination with surgery and/or radiotherapy. It’s available as a general treatment (usually given intravenously) or a local one.
Local chemotherapy or immunotherapy (intravesical therapy) involves putting chemotherapy or certain other medications directly into the bladder for several hours at a time. The greatest advantage to intravesical treatment is that there are fewer side effects since the medications are not given systemically (throughout the body). This approach is usually reserved for superficial tumours removed during a cystoscopy, both to treat tiny amounts of tumour left behind or to prevent recurrence after successful removal.
General, or systemic, chemotherapy circulates throughout the body, so more of the body systems are affected by the treatment. This approach is used if the cancer has spread and can’t be reached by the local (intravesical) approach.
Side effects from chemotherapy include:
The prognosis (outlook) for bladder cancer is good. The sooner the cancer is discovered, the better the chances of survival. The five-year survival rate can be as high as 96% if the cancer has not spread beyond the inner layer of the bladder wall. However, this drops dramatically once the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.
If bladder cancer does return, it most often happens within the first year or two after treatment, so good follow-up is essential. This involves cystoscopies and urine tests at least every three months for a couple of years, then less frequent ongoing monitoring.
While some of the risk factors for bladder cancer can’t be avoided (age and sex, for example), there are some precautions that can be taken to help avoid developing it. For those who work with high-risk chemicals, it’s important to have urine tests as part of general annual physical examinations. Any unusual bladder symptoms should be checked by a doctor immediately.
Since smoking is a known risk factor for getting bladder cancer, smokers should try to quit or ask their doctor about ways to quit.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2025. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Cancer-of-the-Bladder
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