Bladder Cancer: Causes, Risks And Prevention

In India, 2.25 percent of people are diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer every year, which is quite alarming.  The rate is rising each year and it’s necessary for people to know the causes and stay aware.

Urinary bladder functions as a storehouse for collecting urine produced by the kidneys. This organ plays an important role in the human body and maintains sound conditions.  Bladder Cancer is commonly identified in people around the age of 60. There are cases when similar conditions have been noted to appear among the younger age groups as well.

What is Bladder Cancer?

Bladder Cancer, or cancer of the bladder, is formed in the tissues of the bladder. This is a state of abnormal multiplication of cells in the bladder as a result of mutation. In some cases, the tumor spreads into the bladder muscle. The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your urine, which is usually painless.

Smoking and chewing tobacco, inhaling chemically contaminated air or getting exposed to chemicals in the workplace, previous radiation exposure, certain drugs that have side effects, dehydration, chronic irritation of the lining of the bladder, etc, are the most commonly recognized reasons for bladder cancer.

Major symptoms:

 

Blood in the urine, pain and burning urination, feeling as if you need to urinate right away, feeling the need to urinate without result, trouble urinating and weak urine stream, back pain, etc, are the common symptoms of bladder cancer.

These symptoms are not sure signs of bladder cancer. Infections, benign tumors, bladder stones or other problems also can cause these symptoms. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor so that the doctor can diagnose and treat any problem as early as possible. If there is blood in the urine, then one should be careful and should not neglect it.

Prevention

The primary factor that everyone should understand is that there is no sure way to prevent bladder cancer. Lack of awareness about the disease is the major problem associated with it. Providing proper consciousness about the risks is the primary way of reducing the intensity of the disease and its aftermaths.

There are also some other methods that we can follow which could help lower the depth of cancer.

They are:

Smoking: Half among the bladder cancer cases reported are the aftereffects of smoking. Quit smoking and you will save your health. If you find it hard, approach any de-addiction centers.

Limit the exposure to chemicals: Workers in industries who use certain organic chemicals have a higher risk of bladder cancer. Necessary safety precautions should be provided in workplaces, where these chemicals are commonly used, including rubber, leather, printing materials, hair dyes, textiles, and paint industries.

Drink Fluids: Drinking plenty of fluids is the best way of preventing Bladder cancer. It is proven that drinking plenty of water lowers the risk of the disease.

Consuming Fruits and Vegetables: Some studies have suggested that a diet high in fruits and vegetables might help protect against bladder cancer. Eating a healthy diet has been shown to have many benefits, including lowering the risk of some other types of cancer as well.

After the detection of the disease and treatments, living as a survivor requires very good care. Proper follow ups, diets, and tests suggested by the doctor, conducting necessary tests, etc are very important.

 Reviewed By: Dr Mahendra Jain
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No more panic about Urinary bladder cancer

The Urinary bladder is a hollow and flexible pouch located in the pelvic area. It carries and releases the urine through the urethra. When the bladder cells start to grow out of control urinary bladder cancer occurs.

Urinary bladder cancer symptoms

• Frequent urination
• Changes in the urine color
• Feeling burning sensation while urinating
• Feel to urinate though the bladder is not full
• Poor urination
• Pain in the abdomen
• Blood in the urine
  

  

  
  

Urinary Bladder Cancer treatment:

It purely depends on the stage of cancer, the severity of the symptom and overall health condition of the patient.

Stage 0-1 treatment

• Removing tumor from the bladder with surgical intervention without removing the entire bladder
• Administering immunotherapy or chemotherapy directly to the bladder

Stage II &III treatment

• Removing the whole bladder and adjoining lymph nodes
• Removing a part of the bladder and giving radiation and chemotherapy
• Applying chemotherapy for tumor shrinkage before the surgery
• Administering both chemo and radiotherapy in patients who cannot undergo surgery

Patients who suffer from Stage IV cancer will not be recommended for surgery. In such cases, chemotherapy is administered.

Chemotherapy:

For stage 0-1 patients (early stage), chemotherapy is given directly to the bladder with the help of a Foley catheter for delivering the medicine. For the patients with Stage 2-3, chemotherapy is administered before or after surgery in order to prevent tumor relapse. Stage 4 patients are provided with intravenous chemotherapy medication. The most common side effects of chemotherapy treatment are bladder wall irritation and painful urination.

Urinary Bladder Cancer surgery

Transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB): 

This method is used to diagnose and remove the cancerous tissues from the bladder. Under general anesthesia or epidural injection, the surgery is performed. During the TURB surgery, a cystoscope is introduced into the bladder through the urethra, using a resectoscope tumor is removed for biopsy purpose and the remaining cancer cells are burnt. As the cancer relapse is expected after surgery, repeated TURB is required sometimes.

Radical Cystectomy: 

Most of the Stage II-III patients are performed with bladder removal and sometimes a part is removed. After the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are advised to avoid relapse.

Continent urinary reservoir: 

Using an intestinal piece, a pouch is created to collect the urine. The patient needs to insert a tube into the opening of the skin to drain the urine from the pouch.

Dr. Mahendra Jain is an iconic Urologist in Bangalore who has been treating all kinds of urinary problems from UTI to tumor in an effective way.

mail us @ urologistbangalore@gmail.com
visit us : www.best-urologist-doctor.com