General Information
What does your bladder do?
What is bladder cancer?
What are the different types of bladder cancer?
What are the risk factors for bladder cancer?
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What does your bladder do?
The bladder is part of your urinary system. An important job of the urinary system is to filter waste products from your blood and then, once produced, transport the waste products or urine out of your body. The diagram below shows the organs of the urinary system. Most of the urinary tract is lined with a special layer of cells called transitional cells.The primary “machines” in the human filtering system are the two kidneys located close to the backbone and protected by the ribs. The kidneys, working independently, have the significant task of filtering approximately 20% of total blood volume each minute and removing the by-products of digestion and of other body functions. Once produced, the urine (the filtered waste product) is stored in the central part of the kidney called the renal pelvis. At regular intervals, the renal pelvis contracts and propels the urine through the ureters, narrow, thin-walled tubes that extend from inside the renal pelvis to the bladder.The bladder is a thick-walled structure, consisting of a relatively thin inner layer with a thick muscle covering. This inner layer or epithelium consists of several layers of cells. The epithelial layer is also called the transitional cell layer. The main function of the bladder is to store urine. For most people, the bladder can hold as much as 1 pint (16 ounces) of urine at a time and contracts or expands depending on how much fluid is in it. When the bladder contracts following a series of neurological “messages” to the brain and spinal cord, the urine moves through the urethra outside the body.
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What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer occurs when cells in the bladder start to grow out of control. Most bladder cancers develop on the inner layer of the bladder. Some can grow into the deeper bladder layers. As cancer grows through these layers into the wall of the bladder, it becomes harder to treat. The lining of the bladder, where tumors initiate, is also found in the inner layers of the kidneys, ureters and urethra. So, similar cancers can occur in these areas, though much less frequently.
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What are the different types of bladder cancer?
The vast majority (~90%) of patients diagnosed with bladder cancer have urothelial carcinoma, also referred to as transitional cell cancer. Another 10% of bladder cancer patients have other types including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or small cell cancer.
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What are the risk factors for bladder cancer?
Smoking: Smoking is the greatest risk factor. Smokers get bladder cancer twice as often as people who don’t smoke.
Chemical Exposure: Some chemicals used in the making of dye have been linked to bladder cancer. People who work with chemicals called aromatic amines may have higher risk. These chemicals are used in making rubber, leather, printing materials, textiles and paint product.
Race: Caucasions are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as are African Americans or Hispanics. Asians have the lowest rate of bladder cancer.
Age: The risk of bladder cancer increases as you get older.
Gender: While men get bladder cancer more often than women, recent statistics show an increase in the number of women being diagnosed with the disease. Unfortunately, because the symptoms of bladder cancer are similar to those of other gynecologic and urinary diseases affecting women, women may be diagnosed when their disease is at a more advanced stage.
Chronic bladder inflammation: Urinary infections, kidney stones and bladder stones don’t cause bladder cancer, but they have been linked to it.
Personal history of bladder cancer: People who have had bladder cancer have a higher chance of getting another tumor in their urinary system. People whose family members have had bladder cancer may also have a higher risk.
Birth defects of the bladder: Very rarely, a connection between the belly button and the bladder doesn’t disappear as it should before birth and can become cancerous.
Arsenic: Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to a higher risk of bladder cancer.
Earlier Treatment: Some drugs (in particular Cytoxan/cyclophosphamide) or radiation used to treat other cancers can increase the risk of bladder cancer.
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The information and services provides by the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) are for informational purposes only. The information and services are not intended to be substitutes for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are ill, or suspect that you are ill, seek professional medical attention immediately! BCAN does not recommend or endorse any specific physicians, treatments, procedures or products even though they may be mentioned on this site
The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)
is proud to announce that we have been
designated a Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)
Charity Partner! BCAN has been allocated
25 guaranteed entries for the 38th Annual
Marine Corps Marathon to be held on
October 27, 2013; an event that sold
out in 2 hours and 41 minutes in 2012.
