What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer happens when normal cells in the bladder change into abnormal cells, and grow out of control. Bladder cancer is more common in men and in older people.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Symptoms of bladder cancer can come and go. They can include:
Blood in the urine, which makes your urine look pink or red.
Pain on the sides of your back or above your pubic area.
Pain when urinating, urinating often, or leaking urine
These symptoms can also be caused by conditions that are not bladder cancer. But if you see blood in your urine, you should be checked by a doctor.
Is there a test for bladder cancer?
Yes. Doctors can use different types of tests to look for bladder cancer. These include:
- Urine tests : Urine tests can show what kind of cells are in the urine.
- X-rays, CT scans, or other imaging tests : These tests create images of your urinary tract. They can show tumors or abnormal growths.
- Cystoscopy : Cystoscopy is a procedure that allows the doctor to look inside the bladder. To do a cystoscopy, the doctor inserts a small tube into the urethral opening, the opening through which urine leaves the body. Then he or she threads the tube up into the bladder. The tube has a tiny camera that projects images of the bladder onto a screen. If the doctor sees anything unusual, he or she might take a sample of tissue (biopsy) to look at under the microscope.
What is bladder cancer staging?
Cancer staging is a way in which doctors find out how far a cancer has spread. The right treatment for you will depend a lot on the stage of your cancer. Your treatment will also depend on your age and your other medical problems.
How is bladder cancer treated?
People with bladder cancer often have one or more of the following treatments:
- Surgery: Bladder cancer is usually treated with surgery that can include:
- Taking out the cancer and leaving the bladder in place. In many cases, this is done through cystoscopy.
- Taking out the cancer and a part of the bladder. After this surgery, people can often urinate normally and have normal sexual function.
- Taking out the cancer, the bladder, and nearby internal organs. This surgery can damage the nerves that control sexual function.
- Chemotherapy : Chemotherapy is the term doctors use to describe a group of medicines that kill cancer cells. These medicines can go either into a vein or directly into your bladder. Some people get these medicines before surgery to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. People might also receive these medicines after surgery to keep the cancer from growing, spreading, or coming back.
- Other therapy : Another type of medicine for bladder cancer goes directly into the bladder. This medicine is different than chemotherapy. It teaches your body’s infection-fighting system to attack cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy : Radiation kills cancer cells.
