Bladder cancer can be benign or malignant. Malignant bladder cancer may be life threatening, as it can spread quickly. Without treatment, it can damage tissues and organs.
An abnormal growth that develops in the bladder is known as a bladder tumor. Some bladder tumors are benign (noncancerous), while others are malignant (cancerous). Malignant bladder tumors – also known as bladder cancer – can spread (metastasize) into other parts of the body.
The 5-year relative survival rate of people with bladder cancer that has not spread beyond the inner layer of the bladder wall is 96%. Almost half of people are diagnosed with this stage. If the tumor is invasive but has not yet spread outside the bladder, the 5-year relative survival rate is 70%.
The outlook for people with stage 0a (non-invasive papillary) bladder cancer is very good. These cancers can almost always be cured with treatment. During long-term follow-up care, more superficial cancers are often found in the bladder or in other parts of the urinary system.
When bladder cancer spreads, it first invades the bladder wall, which is made up of four distinct layers. It can take some time for cancer to penetrate all of these layers, but once it has, it can then spread into the surrounding fatty tissues and lymph nodes.
Can bladder cancer go undetected for years? If symptoms such as blood in the urine and changes in urinary habits are ignored by an individual and/or repeatedly misdiagnosed, it's possible that bladder cancer may not be detected for months or, in some cases, even years.
Left untreated, bladder cancer may grow through your bladder walls to nearby lymph nodes and then other areas of your body, including your bones, lungs or liver.
Low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is treated with transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TURBT). This procedure may be performed during your first cystoscopy, when tissue samples are taken for testing (see diagnosing bladder cancer). TURBT is carried out under general anaesthetic.
Stage 4 is advanced bladder cancer. It is metastatic bladder cancer, or cancer that has spread to distant lymph nodes or organs. Stage 4 also includes cancer that has spread outside your bladder into the wall of your abdomen or pelvis.
“While there are several types of benign masses that can grow in the bladder, these are uncommon and account for fewer than 1% of bladder masses," says Khurshid Guru, MD, Chair of Roswell Park's Department of Urology.
Right after TURBT you might have some bleeding and pain when you urinate. You can usually go home the same day or the next day and can return to your usual activities within a week or two. Even if the TURBT removes the tumor completely, bladder cancer often comes back (recurs) in other parts of the bladder.
Risk of bladder cancer
Overall, the chance men will develop this cancer during their lifetime is about 1 in 28. For women, the chance is about 1 in 91. But each person's chances of getting bladder cancer can be affected by certain risk factors.
Survival rates for bladder cancer
For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for localized bladder cancer is 71%. This means that people diagnosed with localized bladder cancer are 71% as likely as someone who does not have bladder cancer to be alive 5 years after diagnosis.
It's not always cancer
A growth on the bladder is not always bladder cancer. For example, a tumor that is benign (not cancerous) can grow bigger, but will not spread to other parts of the body.
For most people, the first symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine, also called hematuria.
Bladder cancer is where a growth of abnormal tissue, known as a tumour, develops in the bladder lining. In some cases, the tumour spreads into the surrounding muscles. The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your urine, which is usually painless.
Other symptoms of advanced bladder cancer may include pain in the back or pelvis, unexplained appetite loss, and weight loss.
If you develop a fever over 101°, or have chills, call your surgeon. Although not common, this may indicate infection that has developed beyond the control of the antibiotics that you have taken. It will take 6 weeks from the date of surgery to fully recover from your operation.
Even after tumor removal with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), up to 50 percent of people will have a recurrence of their cancer within 12 months. Because of this high recurrence rate, adjuvant (additional) therapy is usually recommended.
In general, bladder cancers that are muscle invasive and/or have high-grade cells are the most serious and aggressive.
Stage I is a form of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that has spread into the connective tissue but has not reached the muscle layers of the bladder. Stage I bladder cancer (non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer). Cancer has spread into the connective tissue but has not reached the muscle layers of the bladder.
Other symptoms
These include: weight loss for no reason. pain in your back, lower tummy or bones. feeling tired and unwell.
Urinary Bladder Cancer is a silent killer affecting. millions worldwide. It's estimated to be the 9th most. common cancer globally, making early detection and.