Bladder cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the United States. Nearly 82,000 people will be diagnosed in the United States with bladder cancer in 2018. Bladder cancer is more common in males than females. Three times more men than women tend to get this disease.
Bladder cancer is more common as a person grows older. It is found most often in the age group of 75-84. More Caucasians than any other ethnicities seem to develop bladder cancer. However, there are more African-Americans who do not survive the disease.
The bladder is where the body stores urine before it leaves the body. Urine is what we call the liquid waste made by the kidneys. The bladder is a hollow organ in the pelvis with flexible, muscular walls. The bladder can get bigger or smaller as it fills with urine. Urine is carried to the bladder through tubes called ureters. When you go to the bathroom, the muscles in your bladder will contract. They then push urine out through a tube called the urethra.
When cells of the bladder grow abnormally, they can become bladder cancer. A person with bladder cancer will have one or more tumors in his/her bladder.
The bladder wall has many layers, made up of different types of cells. Most bladder cancers start in the urothelium. This is the inside lining of the bladder. Urothelial cell carcinoma is cancer that forms in the cells of the urothelium.
Bladder cancer gets worse when it grows into or through other layers of the bladder wall. Over time, the cancer may grow outside the bladder into tissues close by. Bladder cancer may spread to lymph nodes nearby and others farther away. The cancer may reach the bones, the lungs, or the liver and other parts of the body.
Some people may have symptoms that suggest they have bladder cancer. Others may feel nothing at all. Some symptoms should never be ignored. You may need to talk to a urologist about your symptoms.
NEVER IGNORE:
Blood in the urine does not always mean that you have bladder cancer. There are a number of reasons why you may have blood in your urine. You may have an infection or kidney stones. But a very small amount of blood might be normal in some people.
People can get bladder cancer when they come into contact with tobacco or other cancer-causing agents. There also are some risks related to genes and certain types of infections. Another known risk factor is a type of radiation beam aimed at the pelvis. Patients with other cancers, such as lymphomas and leukemia, who receive treatment with the drug cyclophosphamide, may be at a higher risk for bladder cancer.
Urology Specialists of Ohio has been an integral part of the community for more than 20 years, and currently serves Springfield, Beavercreek, Xenia, Dayton, and Urbana striving to improve patient care, with excellence in all areas of Urology.
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