Types of Bladder Cancer

The bladder is an important part of a human's body as it is one of the main organs which deals with detoxifying the body.

As the organ that stores urine, and thus helps remove excess nutrients and waste products from the body, the bladder plays an primary role in many bodily functions.

There are three types of bladder cancer that can occur, based on the kind of cells that cause cancer. There can be many reasons for a person to develop bladder cancer, and people with a history of tobacco use or infections in the bladder have a risk of developing this disease. Use of tobacco is said to increase the chances of bladder cancer by two or three times. Although a person may have one or more of the above mentioned risk factors, they are not exact causes for developing the disease. Symptoms of bladder cancer include needing to urinate often, pain during urinating, and blood mixed with urine. 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. In most cases biopsies can be the best way to say if a patient has bladder cancer or not.

There are four stages of bladder cancer, separated by how far the cancer has spread. The first stage, Stage 0, is the least invasive form while Stage IV, the last stage, is the most invasive. 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 combination 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. Loss of apetite and feeling nauseous are side-effects of some therapy, but making sure the right nutrients are given to the patient is a vital step in recovery. Talking to a doctor or dietician will give the patient more knowledge on the diet that the patient needs to follow, so that recovery can be made faster and easier.