If you are not sure whether you are suffering from bladder cancer or prostate problem, then you should know what bladder cancer is and how it behaves



General information - Bladder cancer represents a rapid proliferation of some abnormal cellular lines in the urinary bladder (the urinary bladder is that part of the urinary tract which stores urine). There can be one or more cancers developed at the same time in various regions of the urinary bladder. More than 80% of bladder cancers are diagnosed in early stages of the disease.



The etiology of bladder cancer is not fully known. Anomalies of the genetic material in the bladder epithelium cells can be involved in the occurrence of this type of cancer. Still, there is a three times higher frequency of bladder cancer occurrence noticed in smokers. Studies have shown that smoking determines 50% to 60% of bladder cancer cases in men and 25% of bladder cancer in women.

Risk factors for bladder cancer include the following: - smoking is the main risk factor; - people aged above 40 are more predisposed to bladder cancer - the masculine sex; men have four times more chances to develop bladder cancer than women - the Caucasian race develops twice as many bladder cancer cases as Hispanics or African Americans; Asians present a low risk of bladder cancer; - professional exposure to chemicals: workers in the chemical industry, the textile industry, working with paint, leather and wood are more predisposed to bladder cancer; - an infection with the parasite called Schistosoma haematobium - abusive use of medicine with pain killing effects - treatment with cyclophosphamide - arsenic - a diet rich in nitrates, meat and fat - chronic cystitis (infections of the urinary bladder) especially in patients subject to permanent catheterization - a personal history of bladder cancer or kidney transplant - hereditary and collateral priors of bladder cancer in the family - radiotherapy or chemotherapy for uterine or ovarian cancer.

These risk factors are more commonly met in developing countries than they are in the United Sates of America. The most frequent symptoms of bladder cancer are: - blood in the urine, which occurs in 80% to 90% of patients with bladder cancer; this symptom is usually painless - dysuria – discomfort during urination; - repeated urination in small quantities - frequent infections of the urinary tract.



These symptoms are non specific, and they occur in other urinary afflictions as well. So if you want to know whether you have a bladder cancer or prostate problem, here are the symptoms indicating advanced stages of the bladder cancer: - lumbar pain or pain in the flank - edema – swelling of the legs - the occurrence of pelvic tumorous masses in the area of the bladder. Other symptoms encountered in advanced bladder cancer include: - weight loss - pain in the bones, rectum, anus or in the pelvic region - anemia. You need to go to a specialist when you see the following symptoms: blood in the urine, discomfort while urinating, urinating often and in small quantities, lumbar or flank pain.