Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world. According to statistics, a total of about 68,000 adults are affected by this disease in the United States annually. In addition, it has been noted that it occurs in men than in women. Although this can affect anyone of any age, it tends to occur more in older adults. This disease usually starts in the cells of the lining of the bladder. These cells are also known as urothelial cells. These cells multiply and have the ability to spread to other parts of the body. Some of the signs and symptoms of bladder cancer include hematuria, pain with urination and pain in the lower back. There are some factors that increase the risk of developing this disease, some of them include smoking, family history, exposure to large doses of radiation, infections and some chemicals. The most prevalent type of bladder cancer is transitional cell carcinoma. The prognosis of this disease is better when diagnosed early. Some of the treatment procedures for bladder cancer include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. Surgery can also be done, whereby some parts or the entire bladder is removed. Stem cells and exosomes are also potential ways of treating the disease. Scientists are presently working on understanding how cancer stem cells contribute to relapse and resistance to treatments
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Bladder Cancer?
Bladder cancer presents with different kinds of signs and symptoms. However, the symptoms presented depends on the stage of the disease. Below are some of the signs and symptoms of bladder cancer;
- Hematuria: This is one of the classic signs of bladder cancer. People affected by bladder carcinoma do complain of the redness of their urine. This is due to the presence of blood. You might sometimes need the aid of a microscope to see the blood. Hematuria is one of the most prevalent symptoms of bladder carcinoma. Hematuria occurs in almost all cases of bladder cancer.
- Pain associated with urination: Patients also complain of pain when urinating. In addition to this, people affected by this disease also present with urine urgency, regular urination. However, these symptoms might also be present in other diseases of the urinary system. This includes benign prostate hypertrophy, infections, inflammation of the bladder and so on.
- Edema: This symptom occurs in the advanced stage of bladder cancer.
- Urination problems: This is one of the symptoms associated with disease of the urinary system. It’s not just peculiar to bladder cancer but to another disease of the entire urinary system. Patients do complain of urine urgency, and pain during urination.
- Formation of stones: This is quite common in people affected by bladder cancer. They do experience the formation of stones in their bladder and ureter. Apart from this, patients might also develop infections in the other components of the urinary systems such as in the kidney.
What Are the Causes of Bladder Cancer?
Although the exact cause of bladder cancer is not known, there are some factors that increase the risk of developing the disease. They include;
- Smoking: Smoking is one of the most prevalent causes of bladder carcinoma. For example, the cigarette has over 64 carcinogens. This is also applicable to other types of smoking. However, quitting smoking reduces the risk of developing bladder cancer.
- Chemicals: A frequent and prolonged exposure to chemicals could lead to the development of bladder carcinoma. These chemicals could be job-related. An example can be found in painters. Inhaling aniline regularly for a long time could lead to the development of bladder cancer. Hairdressers also have a high risk of developing bladder cancer. This is because they regularly inhale hair dyes, which are carcinogenic.
- Radiations: Frequent exposure to the high amount of radiations can lead to the development of bladder carcinoma. This occurs in people that go for regular radiation tests, such as X-ray.
- Infections: There are some parasites that increase the risk of bladder carcinoma. This is common among people that have traveled out of the United States of America.
- Obesity: Excess weight and obesity are also one of the causes of bladder carcinoma.
It’s important to note that some people do develop bladder carcinoma without having any of the above risk factors.
What Are The Types Of Bladder Cancer?
There are different types of cells in the bladder that can develop into malignant cells. Basically, the type of cell that turns malignant will determine the type of bladder cancer the patient will have. Below are the types of cancer;
- Urothelial carcinoma: The urothelial carcinoma used to be referred to as the transitional cell carcinoma. The urothelial cells expand when the bladder is filled up with urine, and contracts when it’s empty. The transitional cells line the ureter and the urethra, meaning that tumors can develop in these places as well. Urothelial carcinoma is one of the most common cancers, especially in the United States of America.
- Squamous cell carcinoma: This occurs when there is a prolonged irritation of the bladder. As an illustration, the long-term use of urinary catheters can lead to conditions such as infections. Squamous cell carcinoma is more predominant in third-world countries where schistosomiasis is prevalent.
- Adenocarcinoma: This tumor develops in the mucus-secreting glands of The Bladder. This Type Of Cancer Is Not Often Seen In The United States.
Treatment Of Bladder Cancer
There are several approaches to the treatment of bladder carcinoma. These ranges from surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The kind of method your doctor would suggest depends entirely on the stage of cancer.
Stem Cell Therapy and Bladder Cancer
Scientists are presently working on understanding how cancer stem cells contribute to relapse and resistance to treatments. This is important in creating an effective therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer.
References
Bladder cancer: diagnosis and management of bladder cancer. (2017). BJU International, 120(6), pp.755-765.
National Cancer Institute. (2018). Bladder Cancer. [online] Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/bladder [Accessed 12 Mar. 2018].
Pathway analysis of bladder cancer genome-wide association study identifies novel pathways involved in bladder cancer development. (2016). Genes & Cancer.
Get More Stem Cell Information at iSTEMCELL
