expelled from the body in urine. This makes doubles your risk of developing bladder in comparison to a non-smoker, so if you smoke, this is your sign to quit.
Other bladder cancer risk factors include:
- Prolonged exposure to industrial toxins (although the incidence has decreased with improved workplace safety regulations
- Prolonged use of Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy for prostate cancer
- Chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection common in the tropics
Certain genetic mutations (particularly the FGFR3, RB1, HRAS, TP53, and TSC1 mutations) may further predispose you to bladder cancer.
It is also important to know your family history. Rare inheritable genetic disorders like Lynch syndrome (associated with colorectal cancer), Cowden disease (linked to thyroid and breast cancer), and retinoblastoma (an eye cancer) are also linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.
Diagnosis
Because bladder cancer shares many of the same symptoms as kidney stones and UTIs, your doctor will first rule out any other causes before considering more invasive investigations. Your doctor may order a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to rule out prostate problems as well as imaging tests, such as X-rays and computed tomography to exclude kidney stones, bladder stones and urinary tract disorders.
The diagnosis of bladder cancer is often complicated by the fact that it shares many of the same symptoms of other, more common genitourinary conditions, including kidney stones and UTIs.
To this end, the diagnosis relies heavily on the exclusion of all other causes before more invasive investigations begin. This may include a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to rule out prostate problems. Imaging tests such as X-rays and computed tomography (CT) may be used to exclude kidney stones, bladder stones, and urinary tract disorders.
Urinary cytology (the microscopic evaluation of urine to check for cancer cells) can also provide evidence of cancer, however, the test is often inaccurate if the tumor is small and non-invasive.
Newer options called the bladder tumor antigen (BTA) and nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP) tests are more likely to detect larger, more advanced tumors making them more useful in monitoring a diagnosed malignancy than establishing the initial diagnosis.
The gold standard for diagnosis of bladder cancer is cystoscopy, which is performed under local anesthesia to numb the urethra (the tube through which urine exits the body), Verywell Health notes.
Cystoscopy can offer definitive evidence of bladder cancer. Your doctor may also order additional tests such as a bone scan, liver function tests, and CT scans of the chest, pelvis, and abdomen may to establish if and how far the cancer has spread.
Bladder Cancer Staging
After your diagnosis, a urologic oncologist will stage the cancer. This will help doctors determine the appropriate course of treatment and predict the prognosis of the disease. Your prognosis doesn’t necessarily determine the amount of years you will live. Doctors use it to gauge the effectiveness of treatment. Many people with bladder cancer live long, healthy lives.
The staging is classified based on the type and location of the tumor as follows:
- T0: No evidence of cancer
- Ta: A non-invasive papillary (finger-like) tumor
- Tis: A non-invasive flat carcinoma (carcinoma in situ)
- T1: Infiltration of the lamina propria
- T2a: Infiltration of the inner muscle
- T2b: Infiltration of the deep muscle
- T3a or T3b: Extending beyond the bladder wall
- T4a: Involving the prostate gland or seminal vesicles
- T4b: Involving the pelvic wall or abdominal wall
If the lymph nodes are involved, “N+” is tagged onto the end of the tumor stage (for example, T3N+). If cancer has metastasized to the lymph nodes and distant organs, “N+M1” is tagged to the end of the tumor stage, according to Verywell Health.
Life As A Cancer Survivor
Bladder cancer can successfully be treated, but it still helps to take some extra steps to help you readjust to life as a cancer survivor and reduce your risk of the cancer returning. This requires some lifestyle changes.
Not sure where to start? Here are some tips from Verywell Health:
- Quitting cigarettes is considered a must. Even if you have smoked heavily in the past, studies suggest that your risk of recurrence may be entirely mitigated if you remain smoke-free for 10 years.20
- Low-fat diets are believed to be beneficial, both in preventing bladder cancer and avoiding recurrence. Eating large amounts of processed red meats should also be avoided, since they have been associated with an increased risk.21
- Antioxidant-rich foods may also help reduce cancer risk, including those that contain quercetin (cranberries, broccoli), lycopene (tomatoes, carrots, red cabbage), vitamin E (almonds, sunflower seeds), or epigallocatechin gallate (green tea, apples, dark chocolate).22
- Increased fluid intake may also decrease your risk. A 10-year retrospective study concluded that men who drank two quarts of water per day were 49% less likely to get bladder cancer compared to those who drank less a quart per day.