In this article, we cover everything you need to know about bladder cancer, including types, symptoms, causes, and treatments. Bladder cancer usually starts in the transitional epithelium, which are the cells that line the bladder.
There are different types of bladder cancer, but the most common is transitional cell carcinoma TCC. This type of bladder cancer starts in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. These cells also line other parts of the urinary tract, so TCC can also affect the lining of the kidneys and the ureters. TCCs can be invasive or noninvasive, depending on whether or not they spread into the lamina propria or muscle layer. Invasive cancers are harder to treat.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to target and kill cancer cells or to shrink tumors and allow a surgeon to use a less invasive procedure. Chemotherapy can also treat cancer before or after surgery. People can take these drugs orally, intravenously, or via injection into the bladder using a catheter following a TUR. Here, learn more about chemotherapy. Treatment for early stage bladder cancer might involve encouraging the immune system to fight cancer cells. This is called biological therapy, or immunotherapy.
A healthcare professional uses a catheter to insert this bacterium into the bladder. The bacterium attracts and activates immune system cells, which are then able to fight any bladder cancer cells that are present. This treatment usually takes place weekly for 6 weeks, often beginning shortly after a TUR. The side effects of BCG can be similar to those of the flu , such as fever and fatigue. A burning sensation in the bladder may also occur.
Interferon is another biological therapy option. The immune system makes this protein to fight infection, and a synthetic version is able to fight bladder cancer, sometimes in combination with BCG.
In May , the Food and Drug Administration FDA granted accelerated approval for injections of atezolizumab Tecentriq to treat locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
Radiation therapy is a less common intervention for bladder cancer. Doctors may recommend it in combination with chemotherapy. It can help kill cancer that has invaded the muscular wall of the bladder.
It may be helpful for people who cannot have surgery. Find out more about radiation therapy here. You might also find it helpful to look into support groups where you can connect with others who have cancer. Your oncologist or treatment center can provide information about support groups and other resources in your area. In the meantime, here are some ways to get started:. Learn about papillary urothelial carcinoma, including treatment options, prognosis, and life expectancy.
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Stage 3 Bladder Cancer: What to Expect. Medically reviewed by Yamini Ranchod, Ph. Bladder cancer is cancer that started in the bladder or lining of the bladder. Though stage 3 bladder cancer is advanced, it can be successfully treated. What are the symptoms? What are the complications? What does recovery involve? What is the outlook? Our doctors collaborate across disciplines with urologists, oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists.
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Print Share Download. What is bladder cancer? What are the risks of bladder cancer? No single factor is directly connected to bladder cancer, but factors that can increase the risk include: Age : Bladder cancer typically affects people age 55 and older. Smoking : Carcinogens from tobacco smoke come in contact with the lining of the bladder. Smokers are three times as likely as non-smokers to get bladder cancer.
Family history: There is evidence that bladder cancer may have a genetic component. Industrial chemical s: Chemicals known as aromatic amines are often used in the dye industry. This is because most patients have cancer that has already spread outside the area of the pelvis.
Because the majority of patients with stage IV bladder cancer have disease that has already spread and cannot be removed with surgery, treatment that can kill cancer cells throughout the body is necessary. Standard treatment consists of chemotherapy and occasionally surgery and radiation. Some patients with bladder cancer have stage IV disease based only on the presence of local lymph node involvement and they have no evidence of distant spread of cancer. These patients with involvement of pelvic organs by direct extension and small volume metastasis to regional lymph nodes can be managed the same as stage III patients if all the cancer can be surgically removed by radical cystectomy and bilateral lymph node dissection.
Before the development of effective chemotherapy, the average survival of patients with stage IV cancer was only months from diagnosis. Bladder cancer, however, is sensitive to chemotherapy and may respond to treatment frequently and rapidly. Although long-term survival has been reported in some patients, chemotherapy is administered primarily to improve the symptoms of bladder cancer. Patients in good clinical condition should enter treatment with curative intent because some patients have prolonged remissions without cancer recurrences.
Combinations of chemotherapy agents are usually used for treatment of bladder cancer, as no single chemotherapy agent will produce a complete response in more than an occasional patient. MVAC is the combination of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. A phase III trial that compared these two regimens suggested that they were similarly effective, but that GC produced fewer side effects.
Radical cystectomy removal of the bladder, tissue around the bladder, the prostate and seminal vesicles in men and the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, anterior vaginal wall and urethra in women, with or without pelvic lymph node dissection is sometimes recommended for treatment of patients with stage IV bladder cancer to control local spread and the complications this creates.
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