BLADDER CANCER
What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer starts when cells in the urinary bladder start to grow out of control. As more
cancer cells develop, they can form a tumor and, with time, might spread to other parts of the
body.
Types
- Transitional cell carcinoma. This cancer starts in transitional cells in the inner lining of your bladder wall. About 90% of all bladder cancers are transitional. In this cancer type, abnormal cells spread from the inner lining to other layers deep in your bladder or through your bladder
wall into fatty tissues that surround your bladder. This bladder cancer type is also known as urothelial bladder cancer. - Squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cells are thin, flat cells that line the inside of your bladder. This bladder cancer accounts for about 5% of bladder cancers and typically develops in people who’ve had long bouts of bladder inflammation or irritation.
- Adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma cancers are cancers in the glands that line your organs, including your bladder. This is a very rare type of bladder cancer, accounting for 1% to 2% of all bladder cancers.
- Small cell carcinoma of the bladder. This extremely rare type of bladder cancer affects about 1,000 people in the U.S.
- Sarcoma. Rarely, soft tissue sarcomas start in bladder muscle cells.
- Recurrent bladder cancer. Recurrent bladder cancer is cancer that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. Bladder cancer tends to recur after treatment, even when it is noninvasive at the time of diagnosis. Low-grade bladder cancer mainly recurs in the bladder lining. High-grade bladder cancer is more likely to have spread to the muscle layers or other parts of the body when it recurs. Tests will be done to help determine where the cancer has returned in your body, if it has spread, and how far. The type of treatment that you have for recurrentbladdercancer will depend on where it has come back.
- Blood in the urine
- Rust-colored urine
- Pain and/or burning sensations
during urination - Frequent need to urinate
- Difficulty urinating
- Pus-filled urine
Causes & Risk Factors
Several factors increase your risk of getting bladder cancer. They include:
Being older than 55
As people age, the chance of the cells lining their bladder mutating increases, hence increasing the likelihood of getting bladder cancer.
Being a male
Although women can develop bladder cancer, it occurs more frequently in men.
Smoking
Lung and oral cancers aren’t the only malignancies that smoking affects. Since smoking produces toxic chemicals, these compounds accumulate in your urine, causing cellular damage that can lead to abnormalities.
Exposure to other toxic chemicals
Like the chemicals produced in smoking, any harmful chemicals that the kidneys filter out end up in the bladder. These chemicals include arsenic and other chemicals used in manufacturing rubber, dyes, cloth, paint, and leather.
Chronic bladder infections or inflammation
People with frequent or recurrent urinary infections or inflammations or who use a catheter for a long time are at risk for developing bladder cancer. Inflammation causes changes in the cells in the bladder lining, which puts patients at greater risk.
A history of radiation therapy or chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide
Exposure to high doses of radiation in the pelvic area, as well as these specific chemotherapy drugs, can also cause abnormalities in the bladder lining’s cellular structure. For that reason, supplementing traditional cancer treatments with non-toxic ones or using natural treatment options as standalone treatments can help cancer patients avoid the risk of bladder cancer.
Exposure to certain Chinese herbs
While some herbs do help treat cancer, aristolochic acid, a derivative of Aristolochia fangchi, is a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance), especially in the bladder and renal pelvis.
A European heritage
People with European ancestry (Caucasian) are more likely to develop bladder cance
A family or personal history of cancer
People who have had bladder cancer or have a close relative who has had the disease are at greater risk of developing bladder cancer. In addition, a family history of colorectal cancer, hereditary nonpolyposis, puts a patient at risk for not only colon cancer but pelvic and urinary cancers as well.
Staging
Stage 0 (noninvasive papillary carcinoma and carcinoma in situ)
Cancer cells are found in tissue lining the inside of the bladder but have not invaded the bladder wall. Stage 0 is divided into stages 0a and 0is, depending on the type of tumor:
- Stage 0a (noninvasive papillary carcinoma).It may look like long, thin growths extending into the bladder lumen (the space where urine collects). Stage 0a can be low grade or high grade, depending on how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
- Stage 0is (carcinoma in situ). A flat tumor on the tissue lining the inside of the bladder. Stage 0is is always high grade.
Stage I
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 II
Stage II may also be described as muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In stage II, cancer has spread through the connective tissue into the muscle layers of the bladder.
Stage III
Stage III may also be described as locally advanced bladder cancer. Stage III is divided into stages IIIA and IIIB:
- Stage IIIA..Cancer has grown all the way through the bladder muscles and bladder wall into the layer of fat surrounding the bladder and may have spread to the reproductive organs (prostate, seminal vesicles, uterus, or vagina) but has not spread to lymph nodes; or cancer has spread to one lymph node in the pelvis that is not near the major arteries in the pelvis, called the common iliac arteries.
- Stage IIIB.. Cancer has spread to more than one lymph node in the pelvis that is not near the common iliac arteries or to at least one lymph node that is near the common iliac arteries.
Stage IV
Stage IV is divided into stages IVA and IVB:
- Stage IVA.Cancer has spread to the abdominal wall or pelvic wall; or cancer has spread to lymph nodes that are above the major arteries in the pelvis, called the common iliac arteries.
- Stage IVB. Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lung, bone, or liver.
Stage IV bladder cancer is also called metastatic bladder cancer. Metastatic cancer happens when cancer cells travel through the lymphatic system or blood and form tumors in other parts of the body. The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor.
Grading
Cancer grade describes how abnormal the bladder cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the cancer cells are likely to grow and spread.
- Low-grade bladder cancer.cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancer cells.
- High-grade bladder cancer. tends to grow and spread more quickly than low-grade bladder cancer. High-grade cancers usually have a worse prognosis than low-grade cancers and may need treatment right away or treatment that is more aggressive.
5-Year Survival Rate
At a glance:
| Estimated new cases in 2024 | 310,720 |
| % of all new cancer cases | 15.5% |
| Estimated deaths in 2024 | 42,250 |
| % of all cancer deaths | 2.8% |
| 5-year relative survival (2014–2020) | 78.4% |
The 5-year relative survival rates for bladder cancer are as follows:
- 97% for carcinoma in situ of the bladder alone (abnormal cells found in the tissue lining the inside of the bladder
- 71% for localized bladder cancer (cancer is in the bladder only)
- 39% for regional bladder cancer (cancer has spread beyond the bladder to nearby lymph nodes or organs)
- 8% for metastatic bladder cancer (cancer has spread beyond the bladder to a distant part of the body)
How Do We Treat Bladder Cancer Holistically?
Holistic medicine offers alternative treatments that have proven to be effective on bladder cancer. Whether patients combine integrative cancer treatments with traditional therapies or by themselves, it’s a treatment route well worth exploring. These treatments include:
Photodynamic Therapy (Weber Endo Laser
Weber laser therapy is a low-level laser treatment that uses various colors of lasers to stimulate and regenerate normal cells and tissues and facilitate the healing process. A 2021 study showed that therapy with blue laser light proved effective in inhibiting bladder cancer progression.
Bioimmunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses naturally occurring peptides as immune checkpoint inhibitors in treating cancer. These peptides basically “take the brakes off” a patient’s immune system, allowing the body to fight off the cancer. Studies show that these peptide-sourced therapies are especially effective in treating bladder cancer.
IV Curcumin Therapy
A compound derived from turmeric, a popular spice in Indian and other Asian dishes, curcumin has shown great promise as a non-toxic alternative treatment for bladder cancer. As a 2017 study showed, curcumin induces natural cell death (apoptosis) in bladder cancer cells and suppresses the migration and invasion of the cells into other tissues.
IV Alpha-Lipoic Acid Therapy
Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring substance, both in the human body and in many foods. It dissolves in both water and fat, enabling it to reach into every part of the body. It’s also a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger, which makes it a promising candidate for cancer treatment. A 2014 study confirmed that theory, showing that alpha-lipoic acid inhibited the proliferation of bladder cancer cells, suppressing migration and invasion significantly.