Dil / Language

Bladder Cancer (Urinary Bladder Tumor)

 

 

What is Bladder Cancer? What are the causes?

 

Bladder cancer means uncontrolled proliferation of our cells covering inner surface of the bladder. These malignant cells proliferate to form tumors and may spread to other tissues and organs. The most common cause of bladder cancer is smoking. In addition, it may develop as a result of exposure to various chemicals in the rubber and paint industry workers. But this is not always the case, bladder tumors can also occur sporadically.

 

What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?

 

The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood coming from the urine. Other problems with urination other than that. There may also be symptoms such as difficult urination, abdominal pain, weight loss, night sweats.

 

Why does blood come from the urine?

 

Blood from the urine (hematuria) can be due to many causes. These include urinary tract infections, kidney stones, sand casting (crystalluria), the use of blood thinners, bladder tumors or kidney cancer. Anyone who has blood from their urine must consult a urologist. It may be a simple urinary tract infection or a more important disease, such as a bladder tumor.

 

How is bladder cancer diagnosed?

 

If a person has suspected bladder cancer, ultrasound is the first imaging study that has to be done. Urinary system ultrasonography can reveal the majority of tumors in the bladder. If this is not enough, advanced imaging options such as tomography or MRI may also be introduced. However, cystoscopy is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of bladder tumor.

 

What is Cystoscopy?

 

Cystoscopy is an endoscopy procedure performed in the urinary tract. It is basically imaging of the urinary tract with a camera. It is necessary to do this procedure to anyone with suspected tumor in the bladder. It can be done with spinal or general anesthesia. If no intervention is performed, it will take up to 15 minutes and does not require hospitalization. Possibly a biopsy may be taken and this will be sent to pathology to ensure a definitive diagnosis.
 

How Is Bladder Cancer Treated?

​

The most important step in the treatment of bladder cancer is to find out the stage of the disease. Accordingly, many treatment options may come up. If there is superficial bladder cancer (ie it has remained on the inner surface of the urinary bladder and has not progressed to the outer parts such as bladder muscle or beyond), it can be treated completely by endoscopic surgery. In this stage of cancers after surgery, some therapeutics (such as mitomycin and BCG) are given to the bladder to prevent recurrence. The patient is followed up by regular visits and cystoscopies. You can see the treatment of endoscopic bladder cancer in our surgery videos section. However, it may not be possible to clear a tumor that has advanced into the deep layers of the bladder by closed surgeries. In this case, Radical Cystectomy, which is an open operation in which the bladder is completely removed, may be needed. In this surgery, the bladder is completely removed and a new urine bag is made from the small intestine. If we are talking about a cancer that has spread to organs other than the bladder, treatment options such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be used.