Bladder Cancer

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Latest Edit: Iva Lloyd, ND 2014-02-04 (EDT)

Bladder cancer is a cancer which is diagnosed in over 70,000 people each year in the United States, and which has almost a 20% mortality rate.[1] Most bladder cancers involve the inner lining of the bladder, called the transitional epithelium. Other types of bladder cancer include those that affect the production of mucous from cells, called adenocarcinoma, and those that affect the thin flat cells of the bladder, called squamous cell carcinoma.

Bladder Cancer
Causes Environmental Toxins, Infections, Smoking
See Also Urinary Conditions, Oncology
Books Books on Oncology
Articles Articles on Oncology (Cancer)
Article Effect of Various Natural Products on Growth of Bladder Cancer Cells: Two Promising Mushroom Extracts , Alt Med; 2007;Vol12(1


Causal Factors

Bladder cancer is caused from irritants contained in the urine. As the bladder is the organ which holds and stores urine until it is released, irritants and toxins can become concentrated, remain in the bladder for long times and cause abnormal cellular changes in response. Some known causes of bladder cancer include:

External Factors

  • There is a strong association between cigarrette smoking and an increased risk of bladder cancer.


Environmental Factors

Symptoms

Article Hypericum Lights the Path Toward New Bladder Cancer Therapies, NDNR; 2012 November

Bladder cancer is often asymptomatic until it has progressed. Common symptoms associated with bladder cancer include:

  • Urine changes - the urine becomes darker or blood appears in the urine
  • Urinary symptoms including discomfort and pain with urination, urgency to urinate, or difficulty urinating.

Other conditions that have similar symptoms include:

Diagnostics

The confirmation of bladder cancer involves the following:

  • Urine tests including a routine urinalysis
  • Imaging Studies including a cystoscopy, CT Scan
To confirm diagnosis of bladder cancer a biopsy is taken of any abnormal tissue to determine the pathology or cellular abnormality that determines the cancer type. Further assesment can be done via CT scan to determine if there is invasion or metastasis to other areas of the body.
  1. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/bladder accessed May 17 2012.