Bladder cancer: causes of development, types, methods of diagnosis and treatment

BC is a fairly rare disease that most often occurs in men over the age of 50.

Formations can be either malignant or benign. The latter include:

• Polyps, which are new growths of the mucous membrane of the bladder, protruding into the lumen of the organ.
• Papillomas, which can be either single or multiple. After surgical treatment, their relapse is often observed; There are cases of their malignancy.
• Nonepithelial type formations: fibroids, fibromas, hemangiomas, are diagnosed extremely rarely.

Malignant type formations are divided into:

• Transitional cell tumor, which is the most commonly diagnosed histological type of bladder cancer (more than 90%), also known as urothelial cancer.
• Squamous cell cancer is quite rare (about 2% of cases) and has a fairly aggressive course.
• Adenocarcinoma is also rare (no more than 2% of cases), sometimes it is a tumor of urachus cells (embryonic urinary duct), requires a differential diagnosis with tumors of the colon and prostate gland (in men) in the case of a process affecting several pelvic organs.
• Small cell carcinoma, an extremely rare disease, is characterized by an aggressive course.

There are 4 stages:

• In the first, the formation is localized within the mucous membrane;
• On the second, spread into the muscle layer is noted;
• In the third, the process spreads to the surrounding bladder and fiber;
• On the fourth stage, distant metastases form.

Causes of bladder cancer development

The exact cause of cell mutation has not yet been established, however, there are certain factors that increase the risk of the formation of malignant tumors:

• use of nicotine-containing products;
• over 50 years of age;
• gender: the disease is more often diagnosed in men;
• impact of chemical industry products;
• presence of chronic bladder diseases;
• Lynch syndrome;

Symptoms of the disease

• blood in the urine;
• pain when urinating;
• frequent urination at night;
• urinary incontinence;
• acute urinary retention;
• pain in the suprapubic region, lumbar region and abdomen (with a common process); bone pain and headache (with metastases in the bones and membranes of the brain, respectively);
• loss of appetite and sudden weight loss (in case of development of metastatic disease with a large volume of lesions);

At bladder cancer symptoms are similar in men and women. The most common first sign is hematuria (blood in the urine). In this case, you must immediately contact a specialist to determine the exact cause and timely treatment.

The disease can also be asymptomatic or be found during an ultrasound, CT or MRI performed for another reason.

In some cases, complications such as pyelonephritis and renal failure may develop.

Diagnostic methods:

The algorithm for diagnostic measures is determined by the doctor after examination, and may vary depending on the clinical picture.

The most frequently carried out are:

• Ultrasound of the pelvic organs;
• Cystoscopy with biopsy (and histological examination) is the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of a localized process;
• MR or CT urography
• Computed tomography of the chest and abdomen with contrast enhancement;
• MRI of the pelvis with contrast enhancement;
• clinical and biochemical blood tests, general urine analysis;
• in some cases: scintigraphy, PET-CT, MRI of the brain

Treatment:

The treatment strategy is determined by the oncology council and depends on the extent of the disease and the general condition of the patient.

The following types of treatment exist:

• Surgical treatment is used for processes localized within the bladder: in the scope of TUR (transurethral resection) - in the absence of tumor growth into the muscle layer or RCE (radical cystectomy) for muscle-invasive tumors.
• Drug treatment is used both pre- or postoperatively (in addition to the surgical stage), and independently when surgery is contraindicated or during a metastatic process; chemotherapy drugs are used (including intravesical chemotherapy), immunotherapeutic drugs, and the BCG vaccine (as an addition to surgery in the presence of additional risk factors for relapse).
• If there are contraindications to surgery, chemoradiotherapy may be used.

Benign formations of the bladder are also recommended to be removed, if possible, as there is a risk of their transformation into cancer.

Prevention and timely diagnosis

The most effective method of preventing cancer is regular screening and examination by specialized specialists, especially if you meet the criteria for risk factors.

What else can be done to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer:

• quit smoking;
• eliminate contact with chemicals if you work in hazardous industries;
• prompt seeking help for inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system.

You can make an appointment with a specialist and select an individual examination program by phone.