Bladder Cancer Prognosis - Stage by Stage

The bladder is basically a bag that holds the urine until such time the urine can be emptied. It is made of many cell layers, where the inner layer (bladder lining) expands and contracts as the bladder either fills or empties. Like most other organs in the body, the bladder is susceptible to developing cancer.
Symptoms - The early signs of bladder cancer can easily be missed due to being similar to those of other cancers, where symptoms of urinary tract infections, pelvic discomfort, and back pains are quite common. Another symptom may include a painless hematuria (blood in the urine), although blood in the urine does not always mean cancer is present.
Diagnosis - Routine tests are usually carried out, such as: physical examinations, urinalysis; also known as routine and microscopy (R&M) which are an array of tests preformed on the urine, computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans, magnet resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and intravenous pyelogram ([IVP] an X-ray of the urinary tract) tests. The CAT scan and IVP scan provide vital information about the size and position of the tumor, where as the MRI scan gives an indication as to whether the cancer has metastasized, either to regional (nearby) or distant organs.
Tests/Biopsy - Sometimes there may exist questionable cells during the diagnosis process which need a closer look at, and where more invasive procedures may need to be used. These may include either a cystoscopy, where a thin tube is inserted through the urethra that allows for a doctor to look inside the bladder, or a urine cytology, which allows for the cells in the urine that have been shed from the bladder to be examined for possible cancer, as well as looking for tumor indicators, or tumors that may also be found in the urine. While the cystoscopy is being used, a small tissue sample may also be taken for laboratory examination.
Prognosis Stages
Stage 0 - Cancerous cells are contained within the bladder lining where the tumor is still small, and has not yet affected any regional organs. Survival rate is high at around 80 - 90%.
Stage I - The tumor has begun to show signs of metastasis (spread) to other tissues. Survival rate is still high at around 70 - 80%, however if not treated soon will soon become stage II.
Stage II - The tumor has metastasized (spread) through the connective tissue and into the muscle lining, although no metastasis has taken place outside this area. Survival rate has now dropped to around 60%.
Stage III - The tumor has metastasized through the connective tissue and muscle, and into the tissue outside the bladder, and/or the prostate gland (male), and/or the uterus/vagina (female), although no metastasis has occurred in the lymph nodes. Classed as deep or invasive bladder cancer where the survival rate has dropped considerable from that of stage II.
Stage IV - The tumor has metastasized through the bladder lining and into the pelvis, and/or the abdominal wall, and/or the lymph nodes, and/or any distant organs. Classed as metastatic bladder cancer, where little hope of curing it can be expected.

Philip Albert Edmonds-Hunt was born in the County of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. A well travelled man who today lives in Mexico with his family. He works as a Freelance Writer, Researcher and English Teacher, spending much of his time researching and writing about cancer with the hope that his writings may benefit other cancer sufferers. If you feel that you have benefited from reading one of his articles; please recommend them to other cancer sufferers who may also benefit. If you are interested in reading more about cancer, check out:
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Cancer Treatment

Cancer is a class of animal disease, medically know as malignant neoplasm, wherein a cluster of cells show unrestrained growth i.e. division beyond the normal limit, intrusion and damage of tissues adjacent to them and spread (via blood or lymph) to other places. This malady is not restricted to just homosapiens but can even affect animals.

Reportedly, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the previous year.

In most of the cases, cancer is identified due to symptoms and its diagnosis is usually confirmed by a pathologist, who is a type of physician specializing in diagnosis of cancer. Suspected people are usually investigated with medical tests like blood test, X-rays, CT scan and endoscopy.

There are various methods for Cancer treatments such as surgery, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and various other methods. The type of method employed depends on the patient's general health and the location and the stage of the tumour spread.
Complete surgical excision is possible in very few cases since the cancerous tissues usually metastasizes to other places in the patient's body before the surgery. Masectomy is the surgical treatment used for treating breast cancer while for prostate cancer, prostatectomy is used. The aim of carrying out the surgery is to remove the tumour or if required the entire affected organ, which is however unfortunately limited to very few cases of small cancer.

Radiation therapy is also known as radiotherapy. It uses ionizing radiation for killing cancerous cells and shrinking the tumors. It damages the genetic material of the cells thereby preventing them from replicating further. The drawback of this methodology of remedial is that it often damages the normal cells in addition to the harmful ones. Though, in most cases the normal ones recover and re-function properly, it leads to permanent damage in some. It is used in treating brain cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and also cancer of the skin, prostate, uterus, stomach, or pancreas. Even lymphoma and leukemia can be treated by radiation.

Cancer can also be treated by Chemotherapy which involves use of drugs which destroy rapidly dividing cells. It interferes in various ways with division of cells and has the potential of harming healthy tissues. However after Chemotherapy these healthy cells repair themselves. High dose Chemotherapy is used for treatment of certain lymphomas and leukaemias.

Targeted Therapy is another medium for cure which employs certain agents which are specific for the cancer cells' deregulated protein. It also involves small peptides which bind to the surface cell receptors surrounding the tumour.

Some cancer growth can be checked by either injecting or obstructing certain hormones. Some hormone sensitive cancers are breast and prostate cancer. Removing estrogen or testosterone is also often used as an additional treatment.

Controlling cancer symptoms is not a stereotypical form of treatment aimed at cancer, but it also determines the standard of life of the victims of cancer, and plays a pivotal role in deciding whether the person would be able to undertake other treatments.

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Cancer Infromation

Though we have all heard the term "Cancer" through many sources, the exact facts and details of the disease is not very widely known. Cancer is one of the world's deadliest diseases and is a completely curable if detected at an early age. It is therefore a must to possess awareness about it and this article is a consolidation of the facts and details related to this disease.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is not a single disease but a class of diseases which are typically characterized by random and out-of-control growth in the human body cells. These random cell growth leads to invasion of other normal cells around them leading to their destruction. The cancerous cells divide in an uncontrollable fashion and form lumps or tissue masses known as tumors. These tumors affect the body part where they grow and disrupt their normal functioning. The cancerous cells also spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymph and cause further cell destruction.

Oncologists are physicians or researchers who study about the diagnosis, treatment and sure of cancer. The study of cancer is by itself known as oncology.

Types of Cancer

Cancer can typically affect every organ of the body and spread the disease by destroying the neighbouring cells. The various cancers are named typically after the place where they originate in the body. For example, Breast cancer is cancer that originates in the cells of the breast. With about more than 100 types of cancer, this class of diseases is divided into five broad categories.

* Cancer that originates in the skin or in the tissues that cover the internal organs is known as Carcinoma.
* Cancer that starts in the bone, fat muscle, cartilage or blood vessels are known as Sarcoma.
* Cancer in the blood forming tissues like the bone marrow is known as Leukaemia. This type of cancer enters the blood stream and spreads to all the parts of the body.
* Cancer that begins in the immune system of the body is known as Lymphoma and Myeloma.
* Cancer in the cells of the brain and spinal cord are known as Central nervous system cancer.

Symptoms of Cancer

The symptoms of cancer are an important factor in the early detection, though some types of cancer do not exhibit any symptoms at all unless they are in the advanced state. Though each type of cancer exhibits different types of symptoms there are few symptoms that are common to most of the cancers. The patient can exhibit a broad spectrum of symptoms which might not be very specific to the type of cancer like fatigue, unintentional weight loss, fever, bowel changes and chronic cough. Pain is most of the times a symptom of cancer in the advanced form. Pain in the lower back can be symptoms of colon or ovarian cancer while shoulder pain can be a symptom of lung cancer. Though stomach pain can be normally caused by many reasons, stomach cancer is also associated with acute stomach pain.

How harmful is the cancer?

The disease cancer claims the lives of millions of people around the world every year. It is dangerous and life-threatening when it develops as tumors and starts spreading around. The cells may move through the body through lymph systems or the blood and can destroy the other healthy cells in the body. Such a process is known invasion and affects other internal organs other than its place of cancerous origin. Such a tumor that grows, invades and spreads destroying other tissues is known as a metastasized tumor and is a very serious condition which is at times beyond treatment levels.

How is Cancer caused?

The disease cancer is majorly an environmental disease where about 90-95% of the scenarios are caused due to factors like lifestyle and environmental conditions. Only about 5-10% of the cases are caused by genetic disorders. The common factors that lead to environmental causes of cancer are tobacco, obesity, infections, radiation and environmental pollutants. These factors affect the basic underlying genetic cell material leading to the disease.

Treatment course of Cancer

The definitive diagnosis of cancer requires clinical examination of the biopsy specimen. Sometimes initial indication of the malignancy can be through symptomatic or by radiographic imaging abnormalities. Once diagnosed, cancer is normally treated by chemotherapy, surgery or radiation or a mixture of two or more methods. Treatment also depends on the types of cancer and the stage in which the disease has progressed. There are many specific treatment methods that are followed based on the type of cancer and medical advancement has bought in many new types of targeted therapies for the specific kind of cancer. The targeted therapy also works on cancerous cells showcasing abnormal behaviour and reduces the damage caused to normal cells.

How can your effectively prevent cancer?

Cancer prevention is easier than cancer treatment. Though there are many factors that can cause cancer, a few simple changes to your lifestyle can help you prevent them. The below are few methods that you can accommodate or follow to ensure prevention or early detection of cancer.

* Avoid direct or indirect form of smoking
* Look out for skin changes and take care to avoid harmful exposure to the sun
* Maintain a healthy diet of natural fruits and vegetables and limit fat contents
* Keep your alcohol intake within limits
* Remember a healthy exercised body keeps out cancer better
* Learn about any genetic disorders in the family and take necessary screenings
* Beware of harmful substances in your work environment
* Follow safe sexual methods
* Obtain regular cancer screening to detect at early stage

Cancer Research is one of the major scientific efforts that is being undertaken to understand the disease better and find possible therapies. There are many national and international cancer institutes that have been established for this purpose. Since 1971, major advancements have been made in the field of molecular biology and cellular biology leading to many new and advanced treatment modes for cancer.

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