Information About Bladder Cancer

Although there is more than one form of bladder cancer, that which we normally think of when we hear or read this term is transitional cell carcinomas. These are cancers that form in the cells that comprise the inner lining of the bladder. The other forms of cancer which also fall under this heading are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. These last two, unlike the first, are usually the result of some sort of chronic irritation and inflammation.

Signs of possible bladder cancer are such things as blood in the urine, pain when urinating and feeling the need to urinate but experiencing no results when attempting to do so. While these signs are not always a
symptom of bladder cancer, they definitely should be checked out by a medical professional.

While we often tend to think of smoking as being connected with lung cancer, medical professionals feel that their studies show a definite connection between smoking and bladder cancer. They have reported that the vast majority of cases of bladder cancer can be attributed to smoking tobacco. They also have reported that there is also a definite connection between this cancer and the use of artificial sweeteners.

Studies of bladder cancer have shown that those who work in fields which expose them to those elements found in cigarette smoke also are at a greater risk for developing this cancer even though they themselves may not be smokers. Studies show that these fields include such occupations as bus drivers, rubber workers, motor mechanics, leather workers, blacksmiths, machine setters, mechanics and hair dressers. While not all of these are because of cigarette smoke, some of the same elements in cigarette smoke are also connected with these occupations.

Many medical professionals feel that their studies have shown that a diet which includes fruits, carrots, horse radish, cauliflower, and other vegetables which come under the heading of cruciferous vegetables definitely tend to lower the risk factor of developing some form of this cancer.

Bladder cancer can be treated in different ways, depending upon its stage of development. In the very early stages, it can often be dealt with by a very superficial treatment known as BCG Immunotherapy. Later stages usually call for more aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy and/or radiation. Some treatments have had to go as far as to involve the use of a colostomy.

There have been close to eighty thousand new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed this year alone and the year is not yet over. Of these cases, close to fifteen thousand have resulted in deaths. We have the tools in the form of the knowledge which our medical professionals have given us to lower these numbers. Let's use them to help ourselves and others.