Contents
Symptoms
A man’s chance of developing bladder cancer is approximately 4 times higher than a woman’s chance of developing bladder… White men are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer than Black men In 2019, approximately 61,700 men will be diagnosed with bladder cancer Approximately 18,700 women will …
Causes
When cancer starts in the bladder, it is called bladder cancer. Each year in the United States, about 56,000 men and 17,500 women get bladder cancer, and about 12,000 men and 4,700 women die from the disease. To lower the risk of bladder cancer, don’t smoke and be especially careful around certain kinds of chemicals.
Prevention
· Bladder cancer usually starts in the lining or inner layer of the bladder wall. As the cancer grows through the layers of the bladder wall, it becomes harder to treat. The “transitional epithelium” on the picture is the lining layer where most bladder cancers start. Over time they can spread deeper into the other layers.
Complications
Risk of bladder cancer Bladder cancer occurs mainly in older people. About 9 out of 10 people with this cancer are over the age of 55. The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 73. Overall, the chance men will develop this cancer during their life is about 1 in 27. For women, the chance is about 1 in 89.
Who is at high risk for bladder cancer?
Some people inherit gene changes from their parents that increase their risk of bladder cancer. But bladder cancer does not often run in families, and inherited gene mutations are not thought to be a major cause of this disease. Some people seem to inherit a reduced ability to detoxify (break down) and get rid of certain types of cancer-causing chemicals.
What are the chances of having bladder cancer?
Who gets bladder cancer? Bladder cancer is four times more common in men than women. This form of cancer is also associated with older individuals. More than 90 percent of people diagnosed with bladder cancer are over the age of 55, and the average age of diagnosis is 73.
How dangerous is bladder cancer?
· According to the American Cancer Society, men have an approximately 1 in 26 chance of developing bladder cancer in their lifetime. For women, this chance is about 1 in 86. Age: Most people who get bladder cancer are older in age. The average age at diagnosis is 73, and 90 percent of patients are over age 55.
Who is at high risk for bladder cancer?
Though it can occur at any age, most people diagnosed with bladder cancer are older than 55. Being male. Men are more likely to develop bladder cancer than women are. Exposure to certain chemicals.
What’s the main cause of bladder cancer?
Smoking. Smoking is the single biggest risk factor for bladder cancer. This is because tobacco contains cancer-causing (carcinogenic) chemicals. If you smoke for many years, these chemicals pass into your bloodstream and are filtered by the kidneys into your urine.
What is usually the first symptom of bladder cancer?
In most cases, blood in the urine (called hematuria) is the first sign of bladder cancer. There may be enough blood to change the color of the urine to orange, pink, or, less often, dark red.
What are the warning signs of bladder cancer?
Bladder Cancer: Symptoms and SignsBlood or blood clots in the urine.Pain or burning sensation during urination.Frequent urination.Feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night.Feeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine.Lower back pain on 1 side of the body.
Does bladder cancer run in families?
Some people inherit gene changes from their parents that increase their risk of bladder cancer. But bladder cancer does not often run in families, and inherited gene mutations are not thought to be a major cause of this disease.
Does coffee cause bladder cancer?
In summary, findings from this large meta-analysis of prospective studies suggest that coffee consumption was not significantly associated with long-term risk of bladder cancer. Such a null association was similar for men and women, and was confirmed in never smokers.
How can bladder cancer be prevented?
Can Bladder Cancer Be Prevented?Don’t smoke. Smoking is thought to cause about half of all bladder cancers. … Limit exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace. Workers in industries that use certain organic chemicals have a higher risk of bladder cancer. … Drink plenty of liquids. … Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Does bladder cancer feel like a UTI?
Bladder cancer can be mistaken for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) because many of the symptoms overlap. Patients may experience increased frequency and urgency of urination, pain with urination, or urinary incontinence.
Is bladder cancer common in females?
Though bladder cancer is much less common in women than men, women often face a worse prognosis. Urologic surgeon Sherri Donat offers advice to women about a possible diagnosis. Bladder cancer is often considered a disease of older men.
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 bladder cancer curable if caught early?
What are the most common treatments for bladder cancer? Bladder cancer is highly treatable when it is diagnosed in the early stages.
Does bladder cancer show up in blood tests?
Tests to diagnose bladder cancer If bladder cancer is suspected, these tests may be performed to diagnose the disease: Physical exam. Blood test: Blood samples are used to measure certain substances released into the blood by organs and tissues in the body.
How Does The Doctor Know I Have Bladder Cancer?
Bladder cancer might cause symptoms such as: 1. Having trouble peeing 2. Feeling pain when peeing 3. Needing to go more often than normal 4. Seeing…
Tests to Look For Bladder Cancer
Your doctor may do other tests to find out more about the cancer. Some of them are:X-ray: Dye is put into a vein for a special x-ray of the kidneys…
How Serious Is My Cancer?
If you have bladder cancer, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called staging. Your doctor will want to find out the s…
What Kind of Treatment Will I Need?
There’s more than one way to treat bladder cancer. You might want to get a second opinion about the best treatment plan for you. Doctors may have d…
What Will Happen After Treatment?
You will be glad when treatment is over. But it’s hard not to worry about cancer coming back. Even when cancer never comes back, people still worry…
Why are men more likely to get bladder cancer than women?
Men are more likely to develop bladder cancer than women are. Exposure to certain chemicals. Your kidneys play a key role in filtering harmful chemicals from your bloodstream and moving them into your bladder. Because of this, it’s thought that being around certain chemicals may increase the risk of bladder cancer.
What is the most common type of bladder cancer?
Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer in the United States. Squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is associated with chronic irritation of the bladder — for instance, from an infection or from long-term use of a urinary catheter. Squamous cell bladder cancer is rare in the United States.
What is the male urinary system?
Male urinary system. Your urinary system — which includes your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra — removes waste from your body through urine. Your kidneys, located in the rear portion of your upper abdomen, produce urine by filtering waste and fluid from your blood. Bladder cancer is a common type …
What type of cancer is a bladder cancer?
Types of bladder cancer include: Urothelial carcinoma. Urothelial carcinoma , previously called transitional cell carcinoma, occurs in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. Urothelial cells expand when your bladder is full and contract when your bladder is empty.
How do you know if you have bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer signs and symptoms may include: Blood in urine (hematuria), which may cause urine to appear bright red or cola colored, though sometimes the urine appears normal and blood is detected on a lab test. Frequent urination. Painful urination. Back pain.
How does bladder cancer develop?
Bladder cancer develops when cells in the bladder begin to grow abnormally, forming a tumor in the bladder. Bladder cancer begins when cells in the bladder develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. A cell’s DNA contains instructions that tell the cell what to do.
Where does bladder cancer start?
Bladder cancer is a common type of cancer that begins in the cells of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Bladder cancer most often begins in the cells (urothelial cells) that line the inside of your bladder. Urothelial cells are also found in your kidneys and the tubes (ureters) …
How do you know if you have bladder cancer?
What Are the Symptoms of Bladder Cancer? 1 Blood in the urine. This is the most common symptom. 2 Having to urinate often. 3 Pain while urinating. 4 Back pain. 5 Pelvic pain.
Where is the bladder located?
The bladder (sometimes called the urinary bladder) is a balloon-shaped organ in your lower abdomen, near the pelvis. It stores urine from the kidneys until it is passed out of the body.
Is smoking a risk factor for bladder cancer?
Smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer. Other risk factors include—
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.
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
Why do you need a cystoscope?
More than one sample may be taken because sometimes cancer starts in more than one part of the bladder. Salt water washings of the inside of your bladder may also be collected to look for cancer cells.
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.
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.
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.
Which group is more likely to get bladder cancer?
Whites are more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than African Americans or Hispanic Americans.
What is the risk of bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer occurs mainly in older people. About 9 out of 10 people with this cancer are over the age of 55. The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 73. Overall, the chance men will develop this cancer during their life is about 1 in 27. For women, the chance is about 1 in 89.
How common is bladder cancer in 2021?
How common is bladder cancer? The American Cancer Society’s estimates for bladder cancer in the United States for 2021 are: About 83,730 new cases of bladder cancer (about 64,280 in men and 19,450 in women) The rates of new bladder cancers and deaths linked to bladder cancer and have been dropping slightly in women in recent years.
Does bladder cancer spread to lymph nodes?
In most of the remaining cases, the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes outside the bladder. Rarely (in about 4% of cases), it has spread to distant parts of the body. Black patients are slightly more likely to have more advanced disease when they’re diagnosed, compared to whites.
Is bladder cancer less common in women?
The rates of new bladder cancers and deaths linked to bladder cancer and have been dropping slightly in women in recent years. In men, incidence rates have been decreasing, but death rates have been stable. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, but it’s less common in women.
How do bladder cancer mutations occur?
Some of these acquired gene mutations result from exposure to cancer-causing chemicals or radiation. For example, chemicals in tobacco smoke can be absorbed into the blood, filtered by the kidneys, and end up in urine, where they can affect bladder cells. Other chemicals may reach the bladder the same way. But sometimes, gene changes may just be random events that sometimes happen inside a cell, without having an outside cause.
What are the genes that cause bladder cancer?
Acquired changes in certain genes, such as the TP53 or RB1 tumor suppressor genes and the FGFR and RAS oncogenes , are thought to be important in the development of some bladder cancers. Changes in these and similar genes may also make some bladder cancers more likely to grow and spread into the bladder wall than others.
What causes cancer cells to turn on oncogenes?
Cancers can be caused by DNA changes (gene mutations) that turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes. Several different gene changes are usually needed for a cell to become cancer.
Can bladder cancer cause cancer?
Researchers do not know exactly what causes most bladder cancers. But they have found some risk factors (see Bladder Cancer Risk Factors ) and are starting to understand how they cause cells in the bladder to become cancer. Certain changes in the DNA inside normal bladder cells can make them grow abnormally and form cancers.
Can bladder cancer be caused by inherited mutations?
Inherited gene mutations. Some people inherit gene changes from their parents that increase their risk of bladder cancer. But bladder cancer does not often run in families, and inherited gene mutations are not thought to be a major cause of this disease.
How many people get bladder cancer each year?
Each year, more than 80,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer. Anyone can get bladder cancer, but factors such as age, race and gender may increase the risk of the disease. Knowing behavior-related risk factors for bladder cancer may help you take preventive measures to reduce your chances of developing the disease or may help you …
What are the causes of bladder cancer?
While the exact cause of bladder cancer is not known, certain risk factors are linked to the disease, including tobacco smoking and exposure to certain chemicals and gases. Also, people with a family history of bladder cancer have a high risk of developing the disease. Known risk factors for bladder cancer include:
What chemicals can cause bladder cancer?
Workplace exposure: Some chemicals used in the dye industry, such as benzidine and beta-naphthylamine, have been associated with bladder cancer. Other industries where chemicals are used that may cause bladder cancer include rubber, leather, textiles, paint manufacturing and printing. People with jobs that may raise the risk of bladder cancer include painters, machinists, printers, hairdressers (due to hair dye exposure) and truck drivers (due to diesel fume exposure).
Where is bladder cancer most common?
In Africa and the Middle East, where this parasite is more common, squamous cell bladder cancer is more common. Personal history of bladder cancer: Cancer can occur in other regions of the urothelium, such as in the lining of the kidneys, ureter and urethra. Cancer in any of these areas may increase the risk of another tumor in this layer of cells.
Can smoking cause bladder cancer?
Smoking: Cigarette smoking is the single greatest risk factor for bladder cancer. Smokers are more than twice as likely to get bladder cancer compared to nonsmokers. Inhalation during cigarette smoking brings some of the cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes out of the lungs and into the blood. These carcinogens are then filtered by the kidneys and deposited into the urine. As urine is held in the bladder, the carcinogens in the fluid may damage the cells on the bladder wall, increasing the risk of cancer.
Does drinking water reduce the risk of bladder cancer?
Likewise, not drinking enough may increase this risk because chemicals are left in the bladder longer.
Can bladder cancer be genetic?
Other times, they may all have certain genetic abnormalities associated with bladder cancer. Specifically, mutations in genes known as GNT and NAT may trigger changes in the body’s breakdown of some toxins, which may in turn cause cancer cells to form in the bladder wall. Other inherited genetic syndromes are also considered bladder cancer risk …
Why is bladder cancer so early?
Bladder cancer can often be found early because it causes blood in the urine or other urinary symptoms that cause a person to see a health care provider.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Being unable to urinate. Lower back pain on one side. Loss of appetite and weight loss. Feeling tired or weak. Swelling in the feet. Bone pain. Again, many of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by something other than bladder cancer, but it’s important to have them checked.
Why does urine have blood in it?
More often it’s caused by other things like an infection, benign (not cancer) tumors, stones in the kidney or bladder, or other benign kidney diseases. Still, it’s important to have it checked by a doctor so the cause can be found.
Why do I have trouble peeing?
Having to get up to urinate many times during the night. These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate (in men).
How long does urine stay clear after bladder cancer?
Blood may be present one day and absent the next, with the urine remaining clear for weeks or even months. But if a person has bladder cancer, at some point the blood reappears.
Can bladder cancer cause a change in urination?
Bladder cancer can sometimes cause changes in urination, such as: Having to urinate more often than usual. Pain or burning during urination. Feeling as if you need to go right away, even when your bladder isn’t full. Having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream.