Bladder cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the tissues of the bladder, the organ in the human body that stores urine. It primarily affects people over the age of 55. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be more than 75,000 new cases of bladder cancer and more than 14,600 bladder cancer-related deaths by the end of 2010.
Symptoms & Risk Factors
Symptoms of bladder cancer can include:
- blood in the urine (appearing from dark yellow to red)
- urinary tract infection
- frequent urination
- painful urination
- back or abdominal pain
While there is no clear cause of bladder cancer, there are certain factors that can increase a person’s risk of developing it. Some of the risk factors include:
- age—people under 40 rarely get this cancer
- gender—men are at a greater risk than women
- race—whites are twice as likely to get bladder cancer than African Americans and Hispanics
- smoking—smokers are more than twice as likely to get bladder cancer than nonsmokers
Diagnosis & Tests
Bladder cancer is diagnosed through various tests including:
- urine cytology
- cystoscopy (may include biopsy)
- intravenous pyelogram (to visualize the kidneys, ureters, and bladder)
- CT scan
About 75 percent of bladder cancers are diagnosed while the cancer is contained solely in the bladder. However, treatment options become more difficult as cancerous cells permeate the several walls of the bladder. Treatment options also depend on the type of cancerous cells present in the bladder.
The type classification is dependent on the type of cancer cells present in the tumor. Types of bladder cancer include:
- transitional cell carcinoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
- adenocarcinoma
- small cell carcinoma
As with other cancers, bladder cancer is staged depending on the extent of the cancer. In Stage I and II, the cancer is still confined to the bladder, while in Stages III and IV, the cancer has moved onto surrounding tissues and organs.
