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Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chance of getting cancer or of being cured. However, statistics only show what happens to large groups of people. But because no 2 people are alike, you cannot use them to predict what might happen to you.
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There's no way to know for sure if you're going to get bladder cancer. Certain factors can make one person more likely to get bladder cancer than another person. These are called risk factors. However, just because you have one or more risk factors does not mean that you will get bladder cancer. In fact, you can have all the risk factors and not get bladder cancer. Or you can have no risk factors and still get it.
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If you are at risk for bladder cancer, what can you do? The best thing you can do is try to avoid as many of the risks as possible.
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Early attention to symptoms is the best way to find and treat bladder cancer. The earlier bladder cancer is found, the easier it is to treat--and the better your chance of being cured.
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There are very few things scarier than being told you have cancer. You may feel like you're in shock. You may not even want to believe what the doctor has told you. And there are probably so many questions you want to ask but think you can't because you don't know where to start.
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Cells in the bladder normally grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old and die, new cells take their place. But sometimes bladder cells don't die when they should, and new cells are formed even when the body doesn't need them. These extra cells can form a growth or tumor.
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The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. It's simply a storage place for urine, the liquid waste that's produced by the kidneys. Urine flows from each kidney through a tube called a ureter. The ureter empties urine into the bladder. The urine stays in the bladder until you urinate.
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Your urinary tract helps to get rid of urine (your body's liquid waste). The kidneys collect unneeded chemicals and water, making urine. Urine travels through the ureters to the bladder. The bladder fills with urine, holding it until you're ready to release it.
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