What is Bladder Cancer?
Bladder cancer occurs in the tissues of the bladder, which is the organ in the body that holds
urine. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 45,000 men and 17,000 women per year are diagnosed with the disease.
Bladder Cancer is ranked 10th among all cancers in the world. It contributes to 3.4 % of the total cancer burden world wide. In India it is ranked 17th in incidence
and 19th in mortality.
It is four times more common in men than women.
Treatments of Bladder Cancer
- First treatment for bladder cancer is Cystoscopy and TURBT ( endoscopic removal of all bladder tumor and biopsy )
- Based on biopsy tumor can be Low grade or High grade, Non muscle invasive or muscle invasive ( Extending outside the Urinary Bladder)
- Radical Cystectomy ( removal of the entire bladder and prostate(in males)) with B/L pelvic Lymph node Dissection remains the Gold Standard therapy for treatment
of bladder cancer and provides excellent local control .
- After bladder removal surgery a new way for urine to exit the body must be created. Neo Bladder Reconstruction also called Orthotopic neo-bladder reconstruction
is one of the best option for urinary diversion. During this procedure a piece of intestine is used to create a new bladder that allows the patient to pass the
urine voluntarily and maintain continence.
- The orthotropic neo-bladder eliminates the need for any urine collection bags or pouches to be fixed outside the body for urine collection.
This improves patients psychological and physical preferences and also reduces the chances of infection from stomal complications.
It eliminates the need for any devices/ hardware to empty the bladder.
- Orthotopic neo-bladder provides the patient ability to preserve a near normal volitional voiding pattern. It allows the patient to store a normal volume of
urine until socially acceptable to void.
- Patients with orthotropic neo-bladder have a higher satisfaction with their post surgical outcome.
- At our centre we are regularly operating cases of advanced/ muscle invasive bladder cancer and have operated more than 100 cases of ca bladder with radical
cystectomy and orthotropic neo-bladder reconstruction with excellent surgical and oncological outcomes.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Many people with bladder cancer can have blood in their urine but no pain while urinating. There are a number of symptoms that might indicate bladder cancer like
fatigue, weight loss, and bone tenderness, and these can indicate more advanced disease. You should pay particular attention to the following symptoms:
- blood in the urine
- painful urination
- frequent urination
- urgent urination
- urinary incontinence
- pain in the abdominal area
- pain in the lower back
What causes bladder cancer ?
The exact cause of bladder cancer is unknown. It occurs when abnormal cells grow and multiply quickly and uncontrollably, and invade other tissues.
How is bladder cancer diagnosed?
Your doctor may diagnose bladder cancer using one or more of the following methods:
- a urinalysis
- an internal examination, which involves your doctor inserting gloved fingers into your vagina or rectum to feel for lumps that may indicate a cancerous growth
- a cystoscopy, which involves your doctor inserting a narrow tube that has a small camera on it through your urethra to see inside your bladder
- a biopsy in which your doctor inserts a small tool through your urethra and takes a small sample of tissue from your bladder to test for cancer
- a CT scan to view the bladder
- an intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
- X-rays