Bladder Cancer- Types, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Bladder cancer is a common urological disease in men and women. This cancer form has the highest possibility of growth or recurrence.

Hence, it is essential to look out for symptoms such as blood discharge with urine and consult an oncologist at the earliest.

Keep reading to learn about early symptoms of bladder cancer and treatment procedures.

What Is Bladder Cancer?

An abnormal growth of bladder cells causes bladder cancer. This growth gradually turns into a tumour and infects other organs and lymph nodes nearby.

In the final stage, cancer can spread to vital organs such as lungs, livers or bones. There are nearly 17,000 women and 45,000 men diagnosed with bladder cancer yearly.

This cancer usually begins in the cells inside a hollow muscular organ in the lower abdomen.

Ideally, bladder cancer symptoms female and male are seen in the urothelial cell. These cells are found in the lining of one’s kidney and the tubes connecting with the bladder.

If diagnosed early, bladder cancer is highly treatable. However, there are higher chances of cancer reoccurring.

Hence, knowing who is at the highest risk of suffering from this cancer form is essential. This will help in consulting a doctor at the earliest and conducting the required tests.

What Are the Risk Factors of Bladder Cancer?

Individuals should know that chain-smoking contributes to bladder cancer risk factors. Ideally, the harmful chemicals accumulate in the urine, which damages the lining of the bladder.

Additionally, several other factors also increase the chances of the said cancer in men and women.

Bladder cancer symptoms in men is a common phenomenon
About 90% of the individuals aged 55 or more are also prone to bladder cancer
Bladder infections and low fluid consumption
Family history of bladder cancer or Lynch syndrome
Presence of a catheter for a long time can also increase the risk of this cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma, which is a form of bladder cancer, can occur due to parasitic infection
Chemical from leather, dyes or rubber can increase the chances of urinary bladder cancer
Radiation exposure
Overdose of drugs such as cyclophosphamide also increases the risk of this cancer.

Individuals who fall in mentioned categories should consult a doctor and conduct regular checkups. This will help them identify cancer symptoms and their type.

Types of Bladder Cancer

There are three forms of bladder cancer. These have been explained underneath.

Squamous cell carcinoma- This cancer form is related to prolonged irritation in the bladder. Patients with a catheter for a long time have the highest risk of Squamous cell carcinoma. This cancer form is common in the areas where schistosomiasis or parasitic infection is common.
Transitional cell carcinoma- This cancer is well known as Urothelial carcinoma, which occurs inside the cells in the bladder lining. The urothelial cells generally expand when the bladder is full and contract when empty.

This Urothelial carcinoma infects urethra and the inside of ureters.

Adenocarcinoma: This is an uncommon cancer form. Adenocarcinoma cancer occurs in the glandular cell. This usually begins in the mucus-secreting glands in the urinary bladder and gradually spreads to other parts.

Let’s look at the urinary bladder cancer symptoms to detect the issues sooner.

Common Symptoms of Bladder Cancer

Individuals should know that one can have bladder cancer without experiencing any symptoms such as pain during urination.

Typical health issues such as weight loss or fatigue can also indicate presence of urinary bladder cancer.

Individuals shouldn’t delay with diagnosis or wait for advanced bladder cancer symptoms before consulting an oncologist.

Nevertheless, the common symptoms of this cancer include-

Frequent or urgent urination
Painful urine
Blood discharge with urine
Abdominal pain or the area around it
Lower back pain
Unrestrained urine
Bone tenderness

Individuals who notice any of the mentioned symptoms should immediately approach a medical practitioner for a bladder cancer diagnosis.

What Are the Causes of Bladder Cancer?

There is no specific answer for the causes of bladder cancer. This cancer usually occurs when cells grow abnormally in the bladder and spread to the other parts of the body.

Factors such as gene mutation can be a cause of this cancer. Genes such as RB1 and TP53 are known to cause bladder cancer.

FGFR and RAS oncogenes are regarded as tumour suppressor genes which also lead to bladder cancer.

Exposure to radiation or cancer treatment may also lead to this cancer.

Let’s check the bladder cancer staging to learn about this disease in detail.

Bladder cancer can be in the early or final stages, depending on abnormal cell growth. These stages start from being confined into the bladder or TA stage lining and gradually spread to other organs in the fourth stage.

In the first stage, cancer hasn’t invaded the muscle of the urinary bladder. It remains confined in the connective tissue or bladder lining.

This table explains the stages and the damages caused by cancer.

Stages	Infection
Stage I	This cancer remains enclosed in the urinary bladder lining
Stage II	Cancer has spread to the bladder muscle wall
Stage III	Fatty tissue outside bladder muscle is infected
Stage IV	It has infected the organs and metastasised to lymph nodes or bones.

Oncologists define these stages in the TNM system. It is defined as Tumour, node and metastasised.

M0 – There is no metastasis beyond pelvic region
M1- It has spread beyond pelvic area
N0- No cancer in lymph nodes
N3- Multiple lymph nodes have been detected as cancerous
T2- Many tumours are found outside urinary bladder’s primary muscle
T4- Tumour has spread to the pelvic sidewall and adjacent organs.

Let's learn the standard bladder cancer treatment methods for a detailed understanding.

What Is the Best Treatment for Bladder Cancer?

There are four primary methods of Bladder cancer treatment. These include-

Chemotherapy: This treatment method uses a mixture of chemicals or drugs to stop abnormal cell growth. It is transferred through veins, catheters or injected into the bladder.

Surgery: This is a common treatment option for patients suffering from urinary bladder cancer. The area of surgery depends on the stages of cancer.

Surgeons usually opt for transurethral resection of the bladder in the early stages. They can also choose to remove a section of the infected bladder. There are also chances of complete bladder removal for extensive cases.

Individuals should know that the seminal vesicles and prostate may be removed along with the bladder in a man. While in a female, the uterus, vaginal portion, and ovaries are removed in bladder cancer cases.

Radiation Therapy: In this method, radiation is passed through the cells, which damages the cancer cell DNAs.
Immunotherapy: This treatment method uses the body’s immune system to restrict the growth of cancerous cells. A doctor may inject a BCG solution and retain it in a patient’s bladder for a few hours before draining it completely.

These are the standard treatment methods. Individuals should consult a professional regarding bladder cancer treatment costs in India and proceed accordingly.

How to Prevent Bladder Cancer?

There is no definite way to prevent bladder cancer. However, individuals can practice certain ways to reduce risk of this cancer.

Quitting smoking is the best way to reduce urinary bladder cancer risk as there won’t be any scope for chemical residue.
Consulting doctor before taking any drugs
Eating a healthy diet and lowering the junk food intake
Exceeding and remaining active
Health checkups

This is some vital information on bladder cancer and its treatment. Individuals should know that about 7 out of 10 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer can survive more than five years with early diagnosis of bladder cancer causes and symptoms.

They have to follow an oncologist’s suggestions and keep a positive attitude to respond to treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

All

What is the common symptom of bladder cancer?

Haematuria or blood in urine is a common symptom of urine infection.

Is UTI a symptom of bladder cancer?

Yes, frequent urinary tract infections can be a symptom of bladder cancer.