The truth about bladder cancer

Another article about what is cancer…
For starters, each year, about 67,000 new cases of bladder cancer are expected, and about 13,000 people die from the disease in the USA bladder cancer affected three times more men than women. Women, however, often have more advanced tumors than men at the time of diagnosis.
  Bladder cancer can occur at any age but is most common in people over age 50. The average age at diagnosis is in the 60s. However, it is clear that appears to be a disease of aging, with people in their 80s and 90s of developing bladder cancer.
  First, the bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen (pelvis). It collects and stores urine produced by the kidneys. Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation whereby they grow and multiply without normal controls.
  As the cells multiply, they form an area of abnormal cells. Medical professionals call this a tumor. As there are more and more cells, the tumor grows large. Tumors overwhelm surrounding tissues by invading their space and taking oxygen and nutrients they need to survive and function.
  Of all cancers, bladder cancer has an unusually high propensity for recurrence after treatment. Bladder cancer has a recurrence rate of 50% -80%. The recurrent cancer is usually but not always, the same type as the first (primary) cancer. It may be in the bladder or elsewhere in the urinary tract (kidneys or ureters).
  Bladder cancer is more common in industrialized countries. It is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, the fourth most common in men and ninth in women.
  Important to mention, the tumors are cancerous only if they are malignant. This means that due to the uncontrolled growth, invade and invade surrounding tissues. Malignant tumors also can travel to distant organs through the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
  This process of invasion and spread to other organs is called metastasis. Bladder cancers are more likely to spread to nearby organs and lymph nodes before spreading through the bloodstream to the lungs, liver, bones or other organs.
  Bladder cancers are classified (by step) how deeply invaded the bladder wall, which has several layers. Many doctors subdivide superficial bladder cancer and invasive disease. Superficial bladder cancer confined to the linings of the bladder (known as the mucosa and lamina propria). Invasive bladder cancer has at least penetrated the muscular layer of the bladder wall.
  Almost all adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas are invasive. Thus, when these cancers are detected, they usually have already invaded the bladder wall.
  Many of urothelial cell carcinoma non-invasive. This means that there are deeper than the superficial layer (mucosa) of the bladder.
  Of the different types of cells that form the bladder, the cells lining the inside of the bladder wall are most likely to develop cancer. Any of the three different types of cells can become cancerous. The resulting cancers are named after types of cells.
  In the U.S., urothelial carcinomas represent over 90% of all bladder cancers. Squamous cell carcinomas account for 3% -8%, and adenocarcinomas account for 1% -2%.
  Urothelial carcinoma (transitional cell carcinoma) is by far the most common type of bladder cancer in the United States. The so-called transitional cells are normal cells that form the innermost layer of the bladder wall.
  In transitional cell carcinoma, these normal lining cells undergo changes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of cancer.
  Squamous cell carcinoma originates in the thin, flat cells that are typically formed as a result of inflammation or irritation of the bladder that has occurred over many months or years.
  Adenocarcinoma is cancer of the cells that form glands. Glands are specialized structures that produce and release fluids such as mucus.
  These three types of cancer can develop anywhere in the urinary tract. If abnormal cells are found anywhere in the urinary tract, the search for other areas of abnormal cells is warranted. For example, if cancer cells are found in the bladder, an evaluation of the kidneys and ureters is essential.
  Moreover, tumor grade is based on the degree of the abnormality in the microscopic evaluation of the tumor. The cells of a high-grade cancer are more changes in the way and have a greater degree of abnormality, when viewed under a microscope the cells of a tumor of low grade.
  This information is provided by the pathologist, a physician trained in the science of tissue diagnosis. Low-grade tumors are less aggressive, while high-grade tumors are more dangerous and have a propensity to become invasive.
  The tumors are papillary urothelial carcinomas that grow close finger like projections. Benign (not cancerous) papillary tumors (papillomas) projections grow toward the hollow part of the bladder. These can be easily removed, but sometimes they grow back.
  These tumors vary greatly in their ability to return (come back). Some types rarely recur after treatment, other types are very likely to do so. Papillary tumors vary widely in their potential to be malignant (invasive). A small percentage (15%) invaded the bladder wall. Some tumors grow so invasive papillary projections on the wall of the bladder and in the hollow part of the bladder.
  Furthermore, bladder cancer can develop in the form of a flat, red (erythematous) patch on the surface of the mucosa. This is known as carcinoma in situ (CIS).
  Although these tumors are superficial, are high grade and are at high risk of becoming invasive.
  An interesting fact about bladder cancer is that white men and women, of developing bladder cancer twice as often as other ethnic groups. In the United States, African Americans and Hispanics have similar rates of this cancer. The rates are lower in Asians.
  Finally, due to its high rate of recurrence and the need for continued surveillance of bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat on a per patient.
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