Bladder cancer, the fourth most common cancer among men, develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors. Smoking is a leading risk factor for this disease with smokers being three times more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than non-smokers. In order to better understand the disease, we’ve put together a list of bladder-cancer-related terms to help you or a loved one should a diagnosis arise.
Adenocarcinoma: 1 in 100 bladder cancers are adenocarcinomas, which have a higher likelihood of being invasive at diagnosis. This type of bladder cancer develops from glandular (secretory) cells in the lining of the bladder.
Read MoreIntravesical Therapy: A treatment option that slowly places medicines directly into the bladder through a catheter using a process called instillation.
Dealing with a diagnosis.
Muscle Invasive: The bladder cancer has grown into deeper layers of the bladder wall.
Metastatic: The bladder cancer has spread to the abdominal wall, lymph nodes and other areas far from the bladder, also called stage 4 bladder cancer.
Non-Muscle Invasive: The tumors can be found in the top layer of cells and are confined to the bladder, these bladder cancers are at stage 0 or 1.
Partial Cystectomy: A surgical procedure that removes part of the bladder. It is not generally used for the treatment of bladder cancer since fewer than 5 of 100 people will meet the criteria for a partial cystectomy as opposed to a radical cystectomy.
Radical Cystectomy: The most widely used surgery for muscle-invasive bladder cancer in which the bladder, nearby lymph nodes, other organs in the pelvis and potentially other nearby organs are removed.
Risk Factors: Risk factors, in general, are factors that can make you more likely to develop a specific disease. Risk factors for bladder cancer include smoking, chemical exposure (some chemicals used in dyes, rubber, leather, printing material, textiles and paint products have been linked to risk of bladder cancer), race (Caucasians are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer), hydration (drinking a lot of fluids each day is associated with lower bladder cancer risks), age (the risk of bladder cancer increases as you age), sex (men are diagnosed more often than women) and personal history (your risk increases if you or anyone in your family has had bladder cancer).
Sarcoma: This type of bladder cancer is rare and found in the muscle cells of the bladder. Bladder sarcomas tend to form in the area between the openings of the ureters and the urethra, but they can also develop in the entire bladder area.
Small cell carcinoma: This bladder cancer is very rare and starts in neuroendocrine (nerve-like) cells. It is a highly aggressive cancer that tends to be caught at advanced stages of the disease.
Squamous cell carcinoma: About 5 percent of bladder cancer patients have squamous cell carcinoma. The cells in this type have a higher chance of becoming invasive. It is associated with chronic irritation of the bladder which can be caused by things like long-term use of a urinary catheter or an infection.
Superficial: This term can be applied to both non-invasive and invasive tumors that have not spread to the main muscle layer of the bladder; these bladder cancers are at stage 0 or 1. In order for it to be a superficial invasive tumor, the cancer would have had to grow into the connective tissue layer of the bladder wall but not reach the muscle layer, or bladder wall.
Systemic Therapy: Treatments that affect the whole body. The most common form of systemic therapy is chemotherapy, but targeted therapy and immunotherapy are also options.
TURBT: The TransUrethral Resection of Bladder Tumor is a treatment option that removes and examines tumors on the bladder wall. This procedure can be used to confirm the bladder cancer diagnosis, determine the extent of the cancer, remove all of the visible tumor and take a sample of the muscle layer of the bladder wall to see if the cancer has invaded muscle.
Uretha: The uretha is a tube connected to the bladder that carries urine out of the body.
Urinary Diversion: A type of surgery that allows for a new way for urine to leave the body after a radical cystectomy.
Urinary Tract: The urinary tract, also known as the urinary system, includes the two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder and the urethra. This system eliminates waste, regulates blood volume and blood pressure, helps regulate nerve and muscle function and regulates blood pH.
Urine Cytology: A lab test that uses a microscope to look for any cancerous or precancerous conditions of urine cells in order to detect disease. You may want this test if you have hematuria blood in your urine.
Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
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