What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer occurs in your bladder, the hollow organ that stores urine within your body. It’s the sixth most common cancer in the United States and is more common in men than women. When detected in its early stage, bladder cancer is highly treatable.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
The following signs and symptoms can occur with bladder cancer:
- A frequent urge to urinate
- Blood in the urine
- Lower back pain
- Pain with urination
- Pelvic pain
See the Huntington Urology Specialists at the first sign of bladder cancer to prevent it from spreading and give you the best chance of making a full recovery.
What are the risk factors for bladder cancer?
While anybody can develop bladder cancer, certain factors increase your risk of experiencing it. Exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace, past radiation exposure, and smoking are examples.
Older age, a personal or family history of bladder cancer, chronic bladder inflammation, being a man, and Caucasian ethnicity also increase your risk, as well as parasitic infections associated with international travel.
How is bladder cancer diagnosed?
To diagnose bladder cancer and determine if it has spread to other areas of your body, the Huntington Urology Specialists team might recommend:
- Biopsy
- Urine tests
- CT scans
- X-rays
- MRIs
- Other imaging procedures
- Bone scans
- Cystoscopy
A cystoscopy uses a thin, lighted tube with a camera to help your doctor examine the bladder lining and your urethra. Your provider may recommend more than one diagnostic test to let you know the type and severity of bladder cancer and determine which treatment is right for you.
How is bladder cancer treated?
The Huntington Urology Specialists team tailors each bladder cancer treatment to your individualized needs. They might recommend surgery to remove cancerous tissue in your bladder. You may need chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, biologic therapy, or bladder reconstruction surgery.
Your urologist offers the latest advances in bladder cancer treatments, including minimally invasive, robotic surgical procedures.
Don’t let bladder cancer go undetected and untreated or lead to serious health problems. Schedule bladder cancer screening with the experts at Hungtington Urology Specialists by phone or online today.
