Bladder is a hollow organ located in lower abdomen i.e. the pelvic region which stores urine coming from kidney. Bladder cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer; seen more in aged people. Men are said to be infected by this tumor more than women. Studies suggest that the ratio of men getting infected is 1:30 whereas for women the ratio is 1: 90.

Bladder cancer can be benign i.e. restricted to the inner most lining of the bladder or it can also be malignant i.e. spreading to the muscular portion of the bladder. Bladder cancer is said to spread through the lymph cells and blood to the other parts of the body, infecting everything. Bladder cancer can be categorized into three different categories: urothelial carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Urothelial carcinoma is the most common form of bladder cancer and nearly 90% of people suffering from bladder cancer have this form of cancer.

Causes: There are various factors leading to this type of cancer. First and foremost; it is caused with the growing age of a person. Secondly; people with excessive intake of fried meat and animal fat, in daily diet, have a great risk of suffering from this form of cancer. Smoking increases chances of bladder cancer. Then there are chemicals too responsible for bladder cancer.

People working in industries dealing with aromatic amines are common sufferers of this problem. Moreover individuals working in leather industry, dyes, textiles, rubber, hair coloring, and paint too are at a risk. There are others who under weight loss programme consume a Chinese herb known as “aristolochai fangchi” which is supposed to be causing bladder cancer.

There are other causes like when a person has been suffering from urinary infection for a long time then he too is prone to this tumor. Hereditary factors too can't be ignored.

Symptoms: bladder cancer does not have any unusual symptom. Infact the symptoms are very similar to any urinary tract infection. The most noticeable symptom is blood in urine. Then there are other things to watch out for like burning sensation while urinating, frequent urination, urge to urinate after every half an hour but the quantity of urine coming out is very less.

Though these symptoms are not very typical of bladder cancer but nevertheless one is expected to go to an urologist with any kind of bladder infection. However in bladder cancer the symptoms are not visible till in a later stage of infection. This proves to be very risky as it is a well known fact that any tumor at late stages is difficult to cure.

Once the presence of tumor has been established it is important to go for treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, biological therapy or immunotherapy as soon as possible. However the course of treatment is dependent on the type of tumor, age and health of the person .for bladder cancer it is a well known fact that it can reoccur at later stages. People who suffer from frequent urinary infections or who have a history of bladder cancer should go for regular screening to detect the cancer at early stages.

To Your Health!