A basic look at cancer of the bladder and the risk factors, tests and treatments.
Every year, approximately 11,000 people in UK are diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. Many people think that as long as the disease is labeled with the name cancer, it is considered as incurable or a lifelong disease. Studies have shown that males are more prone to be diagnosed with bladder cancer in their life; however ,the bladder cancer can be diagnosed for both male and female (Understanding Cancer of the Bladder 9).
Risk factors for bladder cancer
There are some known risk factors which cause bladder cancer and research continues to discover new risk factors. There are many factors which are definitely known to contribute in developing the cancer. Those factors include exposure to chemicals in industries and work, taking certain drugs and smoking . These factors are controllable as one can avoid them. On the other hand, there are some perilous factors which can be called natural factors, and the person can do nothing about them. These risky factors are : age, where bladder of the cancer is more common amongst people of age 50-70 years( Understanding Cancer of the Bladder 9) .
How to detect bladder cancer
How can bladder cancer be detected? There are few symptoms which are the most common issues for bladder cancer; such as frequent urination, burning feeling when passing urine, and haematuria, i.e., blood in the urine (What You Need to Know About Cancer.5 ). Although it is important to see the doctor immediately when these symptoms appear, it does not necessarily mean that these symptoms mean definitely that the person has bladder cancer. These symptoms are shared with urinary tract infections, kidney stones and other diseases.
How is bladder cancer diagnosed
How is bladder cancer diagnosed? Initially the general practiioner (GP), a doctor, will ask for a urine sample to be examined for cancer cells in the laboratory, and the patient is also examined. For women, the examination includes internal examination of the vagina and rectum, while for men internal examination of rectum. A variety of different tests are done before the diagnosis is confirmed. This includes cytoscopy , where a small, flexible fibre-optic cytoscope is passed into urethra to examine the lining of urethra and bladder. Taking a sample from these linings, i.e,. biopsy to be examined by a pathologist is also included. Other tests included are: blood tests, chest Xray and intravenous urogram ( IVU) which is an injection of a dye that is made under supervision of a doctor who watches the passage of the dye through urinary tract to see if there are any abnormalities in the urinary tract.(Understanding Cancer of the Bladder 10-12)
After these tests, if all the results show that the patient has the cancer, then the GP refers the patient to the urologist who asks for further test that is called CT scan, which gives a detailed picture of body, MRI scan which is similar to CT scan with few differences and lastly ultrasound scan , which will scan the bladder and the pelvis.
If the cancer of the bladder is diagnosed at an early stage, there is a chance of treating the cancer with radiotherapy .However, there is always a chance of recurrence of the cancer cells due to some cancer cells may survive and replicate. The treatment of choice is bladderectomy which is usually done after radiotherapy in case of recurrence. The bladder is completely removed and an artificial external plastic bladder is placed instead.. This bladder is a plastic bag which works as the bladder, placed over the navel supported by a belt.
Although bladder of the cancer is common, the patient can be cured completely after bladderectomy and can once again live a normal life.
References
Understanding cancer of the bladder ; CancerBACUP 1989,revised 1993,1995,1997, reprinted 1998,revised2001,2002,2004 from www.cancerbacup.org.uk
The onlinebooklet What You Need To Know About™ Bladder Cancer from htttp://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/bladder