bladder cancer
Being the part of the body that removes waste, the bladder is an integral part of our body. As the organ that stores urine, and thus helps remove excess nutrients and waste products from the body, the bladder plays an integral role in many bodily functions.
Bladder cancer can be of three main types, depending on which area of the bladder it forms in, and what type of cells are affected. There are no exact causes of bladder cancer but there have been many risk factors that have been identified to increase the chances of bladder cancer which include use of tobacco, infections or irritations in the bladder, age, gender and possibly family history. Tobacco users are said to be at twice to thrice the risk of developing bladder cancer than others. Although a person may have one or more of the above mentioned risk factors, they are not definite causes for developing the disease. Anomalies in a person’s urine and an increase in the frequency of needing to urinate are considered warning signs of this cancer. These symptoms alone are not predictions of the disease, and so a more thorough check is necessary. Many types of tests can be taken to confirm the presence, or lack of, bladder cancer. Biopsies are considered a sure way of finding if bladder cancer is present or not.
There are four stages of bladder cancer, separated by how far the cancer has spread. Stage 0 is when the cancer cells appear only in the inner lining of the bladder, whereas Stage IV is when the cancer cells have spread through the body and reached other organs, like the lungs or pelvis. Stages I to III refer to different levels of invasion in the body by the cancer cells.
There are a range of treatments for bladder cancer which patients can ask their doctor’s about, from chemo or radiation therapy to surgery. A blend of all these therapies can also be used. Going according to doctor’s advice is best for the patient, when it comes to such treaments. As an after-effect of bladder cancer treatment, patients may lose their appetites or suffer from nausea but it is important for patients to be able to take in proper nutrition into their body so that they have enough calories and protein. Discussing with a doctor or dietician will give the patient more knowledge on the diet that the patient needs to follow, so that healing can be made faster and easier.