What is bladder cancer?
Your bladder is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen that holds urine. Bladder cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, starts in the urothelial cells that line the inside of your bladder.
Bladder cancer can happen in other areas of your urinary system.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Some of the symptoms of bladder cancer are:
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Back pain
- Frequent urination
- Painful urination
- Pelvic pain
You should visit Urology Associates of Southeastern North Carolina if you have any symptoms or concerns.
What causes bladder cancer?
You have bladder cancer when some of your bladder cells develop mutations and grow abnormally. The cancerous cells grow out of control instead of dying off as normal cells do.
The exact cause of bladder cancer isn’t clear, but certain factors might play a role, such as:
- Chronic inflammation or irritation of the bladder lining
- Personal family history
- Past radiation exposure
- Smoking
- Chemical toxicity and exposure
- Parasitic infections
Different types of bladder cancer include urothelial carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
How is bladder cancer treated?
The right way to treat your bladder cancer depends on the grade, stage, and type of your cancer, your treatment preferences and overall health, and other factors.
After diagnosing your bladder cancer with sufficient testing and imaging methods, such as urine cytology, a biopsy, blood work, and cystoscopy, your urologist creates your individualized treatment plan and might suggest:
- Healthy lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, stress management, and optimal nutrition
- Immunotherapy (biological therapy)
- Cystectomy (surgical procedure to remove all or part of the bladder)
- Chemotherapy in the bladder or systemic chemotherapy
- Surgery to remove any cancerous tissue
- Reconstruction after bladder removal to create a new way for urine to leave your body
- Radiation therapy
- BCG
Urology Associates of Southeastern North Carolina can perform bladder cancer surgery using the innovative robotic-assisted surgical system, where your provider sits at a nearby console and uses hand controls to gently move advanced robotic surgical instruments. Robotic-assisted surgery allows for enhanced precision and control, smaller incisions, and a smoother and faster recovery.
A radical cystectomy procedure might be used to treat bladder cancer. Your provider removes your entire bladder, surrounding lymph nodes, and part of your ureters. Some radical cystectomies can involve removing certain parts of the reproductive system, such as the prostate in men.
If you’ve been diagnosed with bladder cancer, or if you have concerns or symptoms about your urinary health, you can depend on the empathetic support of Urology Associates of Southeastern North Carolina. Book online or over the phone today.
