The American Cancer Society projects that in 2013, nearly 73,000 new bladder cancer diagnoses occur. Most of the cases--nearly 55,000 will occur in men--about 18,000 in women. New diagnoses rates have stabilized in the last few years and have even dropped slightly in women. A bladder cancer diagnosis isn't an automatic death sentence. There are over a half a million bladder cancer survivors in America today.
Surviving Bladder Cancer
A common question most patients ask after a diagnosis relates to survival rates. Like many other cancers, bladder cancer survival rates correlate to the stage of cancer present. While statistics represent a massive amount of patients studied over several years, each person's situation is different and many factors contribute to a person's survival.
The most recent study, according to the American Cancer Society, yields positive survival rates for patients diagnosed with stage zero (98%) or stage one (88%) bladder cancer. As expected, survival rates tend to decline depending on the advanced stage of diagnosed cancer. The rates are:
- Stage two: 63%
- Stage three: 46%
- Stage four: 15%
Keep in mind that these statistics reflect thousands of patients studied over time. Some people who don't get diagnosed until stage four survive and live for years afterward.
Risk Factors
It's unclear what causes bladder cancer, but certain risk factors raise the likelihood of developing cancer. These risk factors include:
- Smoking
- Growing older
- Being Caucasian
- Being male
- Prior cancer treatments
- Certain diabetes medications
- Recurring inflammation in the bladder from infection and other disorders
- Family history
Like many other cancers, a patient may not meet any of these criteria and develop cancer.
Types of Bladder Cancer
Cancer occurs when cells inside the bladder start growing abnormally, meaning they don't divide and grow like other cells. These cells don't die like typical cells and result in a tumor. There are three types of cells in the bladder that may mutate into cancer. The type of cell where the cancer originates dictates the type of cancer a patient has. Some cancer patients' cases consist of multiple cell cancers.
When cancer originates in the cells that line the interior wall of the bladder, the resulting cancer is transitional cell carcinoma. This type of cells stretches and shrinks according to the amount of urine present in the bladder and make up the interior of the urethra and ureters. Transitional cell carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed cancer.
Squamous cells are found in the bladder when an infection or inflammation present. When these cells mutate, squamous cell carcinoma occurs. This type of cancer is rare in the U.S., but much more common in areas of the world where parasitic infection rates are higher.
Another rare form, adenocarcinoma, occurs in the mucous-making cells in the bladder.
Bladder Cancer Symptoms
The symptoms of this cancer closely mimic the symptoms present in a bladder infection. This might be part of the reason that diagnosis is delayed because patients see a physician for symptoms and are treated for an infection rather than cancer. Symptoms are:
- Urine that's bright red, looks like dark soda, or very dark yellow
- Urinating often
- Pain when urinating
- Pain in the back or pelvis
Any time a patient experiences symptoms that are concerning, a visit to the doctor is needed, especially if symptoms persist for a long period of time.
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