Prostate cancer and testicular cancer get most of the attention, however, most people aren’t aware that bladder cancer is the fourth malignancy in men. The good news is when caught early, bladder cancer has a high success rate. The bad news is recurrence is common and bladder cancer can often be mistaken for other diseases.
As many as 53,000 American men are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year, while over 10,000 are expected to die as a result of the malignancy, according to Verywell Health. This includes Black men, who are often diagnosed with bladder cancer at later stages.
Here’s what you need to know about bladder cancer.
Types
The most common form of bladder cancer is transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), also known as urothelial carcinoma. It is limited to the innermost lining of the bladder (transitional epithelium). The transitional epithelium is only a few cell thick, so if the cancer is caught early, you will have a high likelihood of treatment being a success.
Approximately 70 percent of bladder cancers are confined to the transitional epithelium, however, others will penetrate deeper into the bladder wall. Non-muscle invasive carcinoma involves an underlying layer of cells called the lamina propria. Invasive carcinomas involves cells that penetrate even deeper into the muscles of the bladder.
Adenocarcinomas, small cell carcinomas and sarcomas are all less common types of bladder cancer. Each account for less than one percent or less of the U.S. population.
Symptoms
Most people living with bladder cancer find that it is painless. The most common sign of bladder cancer is urinary bleeding, either overt (known as gross hematuria) or detected with blood or imaging tests (microscopic hematuria). Bladder cancer patients may experience bleeding that is consistent or intermittent. Although blood in urine is one of the most common signs of bladder cancer and can be understandably distressing, it isn’t a sure sign that you have cancer. It also doesn’t determine the severity of your cancer, if you do have it.
Signs and symptoms of bladder cancer vary based on the size and location of the tumor and the stage of the disease. However, these are some of the common symptoms you may experience:
- A persistent urge to urinate (urinary urgency)
- Frequent urination (urinary frequency)
- Back or abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
Causes
Bladder cancer forms due to mutated cells that proliferate and form a tumor—in this case, in the bladder. It affects men three to four times more often than women, and is more common in white than Black men.
Cigarette smoking is the most significant risk factor for bladder cancer because many of the carcinogens found in cigarettes are