According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, bladder cancer is the fifth most prevalent cancer within the United States. Bladder cancer refers to cancers that originate in the bladder. If affects both men and women, although men have twice the risk of females. Caucasians and those who smoke are twice as likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than the general population. Approximately 60,000 patients are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually, and 12,000 of those patients will ultimately die from the disease. Early detection is the key to curing bladder cancer as Stage I bladder cancer has a five-year survival rate of almost 95 percent.
Surgery
Surgery to remove the bladder is one possible treatment option to cure bladder cancer. If bladder cancer is diagnosed early, it is possible to save a portion of the bladder by performing a surgery called a transurethral resection (TUR). This involves the use of a thin tool with a wire loop (a resectoscope) inserted through the urethra to scrape cancer cells from the bladder walls and/or burn cancer cells away with electric current. If the cancer extends beyond the surface of the bladder, a more radical surgery called a cystectomy may be necessary to remove the entire bladder.
Bladder Reconstruction Surgery
After cystectomy (bladder removal surgery), reconstructive surgery is generally done to attempt to restore normal urinary functions. These reconstructive surgeries, called urinary diversion, are often performed at the same time as the initial cystectomy. They can involve using a piece of the small intestine to create a new bladder (ileal neobladder) or using a piece of the small intestine to create a pipe which urine travels through to an external urostomy bag (ileal conduit) or using tissue from the intestine to create a pouch near the navel that collects urine, which is drained using a catheter (continent reservoir).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another important treatment for bladder cancer. It is often used to treat Stage IV bladder cancer, which refers to bladder cancer that has spread or metastasized to other parts of the body. Once the cancer reaches Stage IV, it is no longer curable, but chemotherapy can help manage the symptoms or slow the spread of the cancer. Four drugs are commonly used to treat metastatic bladder cancer: adriamycin, cisplatin, methotrexate and vinblastine.
Chemotherapy can also be used after surgery for patients whose cancer is likely to spread (patients who have cancer cells along the muscle wall of the bladder). It is also possible to use neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy delivered prior to surgery) to help shrink tumors so they can be completely removed by bladder surgery.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation is not a primary treatment option for bladder cancer, but it can be used in conjunction with chemotherapy in rare cases to help patients cure the cancer but keep their bladder. Typically, this treatment method is appropriate only for patients who are healthy enough to undergo both chemotherapy and 35 radiation treatments, who have only one small tumor, and can undergo regular follow-up treatments to ensure the cancer doesn't return.
Immunotherapy
As of 2009, immunotherapy is a relatively new concept in cancer treatment that involves encouraging the body's own defenses to fight the cancer. Intravesical immunotherapy has become one treatment option for superficial bladder cancers. This involves using a bacterial solution called bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to fill the bladder. The immune system responds to this solution and helps to destroy cancer cells in the bladder. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of patients respond well to a combination of scraping the bladder walls and BCG.
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