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What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the bladder mucosa. It is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary system and one of the ten most common tumors of the whole body. Bladder cancer can occur at any age, even in children. Its incidence rate increases with age, and the high incidence age is 50 to 70. The incidence of bladder cancer in men is three to four times higher than that in women. According toworldcancer statistics, there will be approximately 573,000 new cases and 213,000 deaths in 2020. Malaysia has the third-highest bladder cancer mortality rate in Southeast Asia.
So can middle and late-staged bladder cancer be cured? Minimally invasive techniques with little side effects and trauma can help bladder cancer patients avoid surgical resection, avoid suffering from traditional radiotherapy, and effectively prolong the survival period.
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What symptoms of bladder cancer present?
Blood in urine. Bloody urine mostly occurs as intermittent or throughout the whole process of disease. It can also appear at the onset or by the end of a case. Some patients would have blood clots or slough-like tissues in urine.
Irritation of bladder. A patient would present the symptoms of urination frequency and urgency if a malignancy occurs in trigonum vesicae, or the lesion spreads or infection happens.
Urinary obstruction. The bigger tumor located in bladder neck and blood clots can arouse dribble urination or even urine retention. Tumor infiltration in ureteric orifice causing blockage in upper urinary tract would develop lumbar pain, hydronephrosis and damage of kidney functions.
Metastases. Pains in bladder, urethrovaginal fistula, edema in lower extremities, etc appear when advanced stage cancer invades tissues or organs around bladder and pelvic lymph nodes.
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Detection of bladder cancer
Cystoscope, through which can directly find the location, size, quantity, shape and infiltration extent of cancer. Biopsy should also perform when having this examination.
CT scan. It can find the tumor and swelling lymph nodes in an accuracy of 80%.
Ultrasound B. It can detect the size, location and infiltration degree in mucosa when a patient is having full bladder, a status that the mucosa of bladder wall is fully extending.
Ray contrast examination. Through it can a doctor know the bladder is full or empty and the infiltration condition. Combining with pyelography and ureterography, hydronephrosis and infiltration condition of ureter can be confirmed.
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Staging of urinary bladder cancer
Stage 0: Cancer cells are found only on the inner lining of the bladder.
Stage I: Cancer cells have proliferated to the layer beyond the inner lining of the urinary bladder but not to the muscles of the urinary bladder.
Stage II: Cancer cells have proliferated to the muscles in the bladder wall but not to the fatty tissue that surrounds the urinary bladder.
Stage III: Cancer cells have invaded to the fatty tissue surrounding the urinary bladder and to the prostate gland, vagina, or uterus, but not to the lymph nodes or other organs.
Stage IV: Cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes, pelvic or abdominal wall, and/or other organs.
Recurrent: Cancer has recurred in the urinary bladder or in another nearby organ after having been treated.
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*Disclaimer: The effect of treatment varies from person to person. The information on the website of Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou is for reference only, and cannot be used as the basis for medical diagnosis and treatment, nor can it replace the doctor's diagnosis and treatment. For more details, please review the Liability Clause.
