What Is Bladder Cancer?

Bladder cancer occurs when the line inside the bladder starts developing cancerous cells. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ in the excretory system of the human body. Cancer may spread from the bladder to the urinary tract.

What Are The Symptoms Of Bladder Cancer?

Some of the early signs that you may notice in an individual are as follows:

  • Blood during urinating.
  • Pelvic pain.
  • Painful urination.
  • Reddish colored urine.
  • Frequent urination.
  • Back pain.

What Are The Causes For Bladder Cancer?

When the cells start to grow abnormally and mutate, it causes cancer in the bladder lining. There is no clear reason for the development of bladder cancer in a person. It may develop due to different causes that are believed to be related to bladder cancer.

Some of these causes are:

  • The habit of smoking.
  • Taking tobacco.
  • Chemical exposure.
  • Radiation exposure from past treatment.
  • Chronic bladder lining irritation or inflammation.

Diagnosis For Bladder Cancer

There are three most common procedures that are done to diagnose a patient before bladder cancer treatment.

Cystoscopy- In this method, the doctor uses a narrow tube and inserts it through the urethra to get images of the bladder lining.

Biopsy- In this method, a small device is used to extract a cell sample from the bladder for testing. This test helps the doctor to find a trace of the cancer cell.

Urine Cytology– In this process, the doctor takes a sample of the urine to check for any signs of cancer cells. This test is done under a microscope to analyze the urine sample.

Best Treatments For Bladder Cancer

Depending upon the age of the patient, the severity of the cancer stage, the presence of a tumor and other medical histories, the oncologist determines the suitable treatment procedure. Before consulting a cancer specialist, you need to find the best cancer treatment hospital in Delhi.

Some of the most common treatments that bladder cancer patients undergo are:

  • Surgery is an option in patients who are at the early stages and successfully treatable without any complications.
  • Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the two best treatments available for bladder cancer patients. But these are suggested for patients who cannot undergo surgery and there is high risk of the cancer spreading. Mostly, patients in the advanced stage of bladder cancer have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
  • Removal of the bladder and reconstructing the area for urine exit is another option. But this treatment is not for all patients.
  • Immunotherapy is a treatment process that targets the body’s immune system to fight the cancer cells present inside the bladder.

Post Bladder Cancer Treatment

After the treatment of bladder cancer, the patient needs to go for follow-up check-ups as instructed by the doctor. This condition has a tendency to recur. So the doctor will recommend a few tests that will determine if there is any further risk.

Make sure you keep visiting your doctor every three to six months for screening.