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Depends: It depends on the type of cancer and stage at the time sof diagnosis. If it is a non-aggressive form, it may take months or sometimes years to recur. If the tumor is very aggressive or advanced at the time of diagnosis, it is much more likely to recur quickly. It depends: There are different types of bladder cancer.
What are the early warning signs of bladder cancer?
· Low-grade bladder cancers look a lot like normal bladder cells. They tend to grow and spread slowly. High-grade bladder cancers look less like normal bladder cells. These cancers are more likely to grow and spread. They can be harder to treat. Stage
How dangerous is bladder cancer?
· The bladder can hold about half of a liter of urine and expands, but a person usually feels the urge to urinate when the bladder is 25% full. When it is empty, the bladder will contract and become smaller. Due to the bladder’s skill to expand and contract, it’s thought of as a balloon that was muscle.
What is the cure for bladder cancer?
· Like any other cancer, bladder cancer has three different routes by which it can escape the confines of the bladder. These three are (1) direct extension, (2) lymphatic spread, and (3) vascular spread. 1. Direct extension: As the tumor grows, it may gradually extend through each layer of the bladder wall. Once it has grown through the entire …
Are bladder cancers fast growing?
They tend to grow and spread slowly. High-grade bladder cancers look less like normal bladder cells. These cancers are more likely to grow and spread.
How do I know if my bladder cancer has spread?
The signs and symptoms of bladder cancer that has spread to other parts of the body include: tiredness or weakness. pain when urinating. difficulty urinating or inability to urinate.
How long can you live with untreated invasive bladder cancer?
Approximately a third of the 70,000 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer in the USA in 2009 will have presented with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) requiring aggressive management. Left untreated, most patients with MIBC suffer significant morbidity and die of the disease within 2 years of the diagnosis.
Where does bladder cancer usually spread to first?
When bladder cancer spreads, it first invades the bladder wall, which is made up of four distinct layers. It can take some time for cancer to penetrate all of these layers, but once it has, it can then spread into the surrounding fatty tissues and lymph nodes.
Can you have bladder cancer for years and not know it?
It may be seen as a symptom of post-menopausal bleeding, simple cystitis or a urinary tract infection. As a result, a bladder cancer diagnosis can be overlooked for a year or more.
Is a 5 cm bladder tumor large?
CONCLUSIONS: Larger tumor size (>5 cm) is associated with greater length of stay, reoperation, readmission, and death following TURBT. Patients should be counseled appropriately and likely warrant vigilant observation prior to and following hospital discharge.
Do you feel unwell with bladder cancer?
pain or a burning sensation when passing urine. weight loss. pain in your back, lower tummy or bones. feeling tired and unwell.
Is bladder cancer aggressive?
It has not grown in toward the hollow part of the bladder, and it has not spread to the thick layer of muscle or connective tissue of the bladder (Tis, N0, M0). This is always a high-grade cancer (see “Grades,” below) and is considered an aggressive disease because it can lead to muscle-invasive disease.
What are the symptoms of end stage bladder cancer?
Symptoms of Advanced Bladder CancerAn inability to urinate.Lower back pain on one side of the body.Loss of appetite.Unintended weight loss.Overwhelming fatigue.Bone pain.Swelling in the feet.
Which of the following is usually the first symptom of bladder cancer?
For most people, the first symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine, also called hematuria. Sometimes the blood is visible, prompting the patient to visit a doctor.
What is life expectancy with bladder cancer?
Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed….5-year relative survival rates for bladder cancer.SEER Stage5-year Relative Survival RateDistant6%All SEER stages combined77%2 more rows•Mar 1, 2022
What is the mortality rate of bladder cancer?
The general 5-year survival rate for people with bladder cancer is 77%. However, survival rates depend on many factors, including the type and stage of bladder cancer that is diagnosed. The 5-year survival rate of people with bladder cancer that has not spread beyond the inner layer of the bladder wall is 96%.
What are the symptoms of end stage bladder cancer?
Symptoms of Advanced Bladder CancerAn inability to urinate.Lower back pain on one side of the body.Loss of appetite.Unintended weight loss.Overwhelming fatigue.Bone pain.Swelling in the feet.
How do you know if cancer has spread to bones?
When it does occur, signs and symptoms of bone metastasis include:Bone pain.Broken bones.Urinary incontinence.Bowel incontinence.Weakness in the legs or arms.High levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation and confusion.
Is bladder cancer an aggressive cancer?
It has not grown in toward the hollow part of the bladder, and it has not spread to the thick layer of muscle or connective tissue of the bladder (Tis, N0, M0). This is always a high-grade cancer (see “Grades,” below) and is considered an aggressive disease because it can lead to muscle-invasive disease.
Can bladder cancer symptoms come and go?
Symptoms often come and go, and are often not severe. The most common symptoms include the following: Hematuria (blood in the urine) — The most common sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (hematuria).
How do you know if you have bladder cancer?
Signs of bladder cancer are problems peeing, pain when peeing, needing to go more often than normal, and seeing blood in your urine
What is it called when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body?
For instance, cancer cells in the bladder can travel to the bone and grow there. When cancer cells spread, it’s called metastasis . Cancer is always named for the place where it starts.
What is the best test to find out if you have bladder cancer?
Ultrasound: This test uses sound waves to make pictures of the organs inside your body, like your bladder and kidneys. It can help show the size of a bladder cancer and if it has spread. Bone scan: A bone scan can help show if bladder cancer has spread to the bones. This test is not done unless you have bone pain.
What tests are done to check for bladder cancer?
This might include a rectal exam, during which a gloved finger is put into your rectum. If you are a woman, a pelvic exam might also be done.
Where does urine go when you pee?
Urine flows through the ureters and into your bladder, where it’s stored. When you urinate (pee), the bladder squeezes the urine out through a tube called the urethra. Bladder cancer usually starts in the lining or inner layer of the bladder wall.
Where is the bladder located?
The bladder is a hollow organ that stores urine before it leaves your body. It sits in the lowest part of your belly, called your pelvis. Urine is made in your kidneys. Tubes called ureters connect your kidneys to the bladder. Urine flows through the ureters and into your bladder, where it’s stored. When you urinate (pee), the bladder squeezes the urine out through a tube called the urethra.
Can a test show if bladder cancer is growing?
Tests can show how deeply the cancer has grown into the bladder wall.
Where does bladder cancer come from?
Bladder cancers appear almost entirely from the innermost lining of the bladder, so they are referred to as transitional cell or urothelial cancer. This simply means that the cancer started in the lining of the bladder, which can be composed of transitional cells that appear elliptical beneath the microscope.
How many people died from bladder cancer in 2015?
It is projected that in 2015 in the United States, there will be 74,000 new cases of bladder cancer, resulting in 16,000 deaths. It’s the sixth most frequent cancer diagnosis in the United States, being more common in girls and eleventh the third most common in guys. In America, bladder cancer will affect older men more frequently;
What is lymphatic circulation?
The lymphatic circulation is a whole circulation system in the body (somewhat like the blood circulatory system) that drains into various lymph nodes. That is called lymphatic spread. Bladder cancer can propagate in this manner.
Why does bladder cancer cause flank pain?
These are due to irritation of the bladder wall by the tumour. In complex instances of bladder cancer, the tumor can in fact obstruct either the entry of urine from your bladder into the bladder or the departure of urine. This causes acute flank pain, illness, and injury to the kidneys.
What is the physical exam for bladder cancer?
When a diagnosis of bladder cancer is manufactured, a complete physical examination is completed along with any metastatic disease, the local extent of disease, and the formerly mentioned radiologic studies to completely assess the urinary tract.
What are the risks of bladder cancer?
Cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for bladder cancer. It’s projected that about half of bladder cancers are due to cigarette smoking. If you’re a smoker, the possibility of being identified as having bladder cancer is increased two to four times. Other risk factors for developing bladder cancer consist of, family history, genetic mutations, work-related exposure to compounds (especially those processed in paint, dye, metal and petroleum products), preceding cancer treatment with cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, or pelvic radiation, exposure to arsenic notably in well water, aristolochic (a Chinese herb), bladder infections caused by Schistosoma haematobium, and neurogenic bladder and the overuse of indwelling catheters.
How does lymph node cancer spread?
The presence of lymph node spread is best evaluated by CT scan or at surgical exploration. Bladder cancer can also spread through the bloodstream. Cancer cells gain entry to distant organs through the bloodstream and also the tumors that originate from cells’ travel to other organs are called metastases.
How does bladder cancer affect survival?
The factors influencing survival include: 1 Age: Increasing age has been linked to a lower survival rate in people with bladder cancer. 7 2 Sex: A literature review of 27 studies and 23,754 patients found that women had a greater risk for disease recurrence following localized treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. 8 3 Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of recurrence and mortality in people with bladder cancer. 9 4 Recurrence: Recurrence of bladder cancer forebodes a poor prognosis, with a median survival of six months after recurrence. Although people with local recurrence have a slightly better prognosis, those with disease recurrence at local and distant sites perform very poorly.
What is the prognosis of bladder cancer?
Prognosis describes how severe a person’s cancer is and their chances of survival. It is influenced by factors that are not reflected in the SEER survival statistics. Chief among them are the type, stage, and grade of bladder cancer. Other factors also contribute.
How many people will die from bladder cancer in 2020?
Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the United States, representing 4.5% of all new cancer cases in the country. 1 There were an estimated 81,400 new cases of bladder cancer in 2020. This form of cancer resulted in about 17,980 deaths in the same year. While bladder cancer is relatively common, the average five-year survival rate is quite high at 76.9%. This rate has improved over the past several years, and a person’s chance of survival is influenced by many factors.
What is the function of the bladder?
The bladder is flexible, being made of smooth muscle. It works to collect and then eliminate urine from your body. The bladder’s flexible walls are made perfectly to expand and contract as necessary to hold urine until it is expelled from the body.
How many stages of cancer are there in TNM?
Its purpose is to measure and communicate the extent of tumor growth. There are five TNM stages, from 0 to 4. The lower the stage number, the smaller the spread of cancer.
What is the difference between localized and distant cancer?
These rates are classified by stage: localized, regional, and distant. Cancer is considered localized when it is only found in the part of the body where it started. Regional means the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or organs and tissues, while distant refers to cancer that has metastasized to distant organs or lymph nodes.
Is bladder cancer muscle invasive?
Approximately 20% of newly diagnosed bladder cancer cases are muscle-invasive. 5. Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: The cancer in this case is confined to the inner surface of the bladder and does not involve the bladder muscle. Some cases may progress to muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Where does bladder cancer start?
Bladder cancer is a tumor (uncontrolled growth of cells) that starts in your urinary bladder. The urinary bladder is a balloon-like organ present in the lower abdomen near the pelvis. Its function is to store urine coming from the kidneys through the ureters (pipe-like passageways for urine) until it is expelled from the body through the tube-like passage called the urethra.
How long do people with bladder cancer live?
Overall, 70 to 90 percent of people with localized bladder cancer will live for at least five years or more . The physician calculates this with the help of survival rates. Survival rates indicate the percentage of people who live with a certain type of cancer for a specific time. The physician often uses an overall five-year survival rate.
What is the first line of treatment for metastatic bladder cancer?
Then, the physician may perform a radical cystectomy to remove cancer that has invaded beyond the bladder wall. Metastatic bladder cancer: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the first line of treatment for this type of bladder cancer.
What is gallbladder cancer?
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the aggressive cancers of the biliary tract. The gallbladder generates and concentrates bile that aids in the digestion of fats. GBC is a rare, yet deadly cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
What is the procedure to remove bladder cancer?
Tumors in the bladder muscle: In case of bladder cancer that has invaded the muscle wall but hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes, the physician recommends radical cystectomy. In this procedure, the physician removes the bladder, nearby lymph nodes and other nearby organs.
What is the treatment for high grade bladder cancer?
High-grade bladder cancer: High-grade cancers that are life-threatening and spread quickly need to be treated with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.
What is SEER in cancer?
The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) stages are taken from the SEER database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute. SEER database groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages.
What is the first treatment for bladder cancer?
Chemo (with or without radiation) is typically the first treatment when bladder cancer has spread to distant parts of the body (M1). After this treatment the cancer is rechecked. If it looks like it’s gone, a boost of radiation to the bladder may be given or cystectomy might be done.
What is stage 0 bladder cancer?
Stage 0 bladder cancer includes non-invasive papillary carcinoma (Ta) and flat non-invasive carcinoma (Tis or carcinoma in situ). In either case, the cancer is only in the inner lining layer of the bladder. It has not invaded (spread deeper into) the bladder wall.
What to do if you have cancer that hasn’t been removed?
(Less often, close follow-up alone might be an option.) If all of the cancer wasn’t removed, options are intravesical BCG or cystectomy (removal of part or all of the bladder).
How to get rid of stage IV cancer?
The tumor is then rechecked. If it appears to be gone, chemo with or without radiation or cystectomy are options.
How long after TA surgery can you get chemo?
For low-grade (slow-growing) non-invasive papillary (Ta) tumors, weekly intravesical chemotherapy may be started a few weeks after surgery. If the cancer comes back, the treatments can be repeated. Sometimes intravesical chemo is repeated over the next year to try to keep the cancer from coming back.
What is the treatment for cancer that recurs in distant parts of the body?
Cancers that recur in distant parts of the body can be harder to remove with surgery, so other treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or radiation therapy , might be needed. For more on dealing with a recurrence, see Understanding Recurrence.
Can you get a partial cystectomy for bladder cancer?
Lymph nodes near the bladder are often removed as well. If cancer is in only one part of the bladder, a partial cystectomy may be done instead. But this is possible in only a small number of patients . Radical cystectomy may be the only treatment for people who are not well enough to get chemo.
How does bladder cancer spread?
It can also spread through the lymph system, by traveling through lymph vessels to lymph nodes in different parts of the body. It can also spread through the body’s blood vessels and form tumors in other parts of the body, …
What tests determine if bladder cancer has spread?
What Tests Determine Cancer Spread? When a patient is diagnosed with bladder cancer, healthcare providers may carry out further tests to find out if the bladder cancer cells have spread to other organs or parts of the body. 1,2 Bladder cancer that has spread ( metastasized) is called metastatic bladder cancer. …
What is the purpose of a camera in a bone biopsy?
A camera is used to detect any areas that may be damaged, and other types of imaging can be used to examine the area more closely for signs of cancer.
Can a retrograde pyelogram detect bladder cancer?
For example, intravenous or retrograde pyelograms are types of x-rays that use a special dye to highlight the organs of the urinary tract. This can make it possible to detect cancer that has spread to the kidneys, ureters, or other parts of the urinary tract. If healthcare providers suspect that the bladder cancer may have spread to …
Where Bladder Cancer Can Spread
The bladder is a hollow organ that holds urine. It has flexible walls that are composed of several layers. When bladder cancer starts to spread, it grows through each layer of the bladder wall.
Symptoms and Complications
The first symptom of bladder cancer is usually blood in the urine. However, it’s possible to have blood in your urine and not see it. Laboratory testing can identify blood in urine, even when it’s not visible to the eye. As bladder cancer spreads, you may experience other symptoms, too. Advanced bladder cancer symptoms include: 5
Treatment Options
Treatments for metastatic bladder cancer can vary, based on things like how extensively your cancer has spread, your overall health and strength, and your current symptoms.
Living With Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer symptoms and treatments can be overwhelming. No matter where you are on your treatment journey, you’ll need to meet with your healthcare provider for regular checkups and tests. Talking to your healthcare team about the next steps and what to expect can provide a road map during this time.
Prognosis
Metastatic bladder cancer is a challenging diagnosis. Your health, strength, and age will all play a role in your prognosis. How well your cancer responds to treatment is also a significant factor.
Summary
Metastatic bladder cancer is cancer that has spread outside of the bladder to other parts of the body. If you have metastatic bladder cancer, your treatment will be focused on destroying or slowing down cancer cells throughout your body, not just in your bladder.
A Word From Verywell
A diagnosis of metastatic bladder cancer can feel overwhelming, but there’s treatment to help manage symptoms and slow disease progression. No matter where you are on your treatment journey, it’s important to maintain regular appointments with your healthcare provider to keep your cancer under control.