Being the part of the body that removes waste, the bladder is an integral part of our body. As the organ that stores urine, and thus helps eliminate excess nutrients and waste products from the body, the bladder plays an primary role in many bodily functions.
Bladder cancer can be of three main variations, depending on which area of the bladder it forms in, and what type of cells are affected. There can be many reasons for a person to develop bladder cancer, and people with a history of tobacco use or infections in the bladder have a risk of developing this disease. Tobacco users are said to be at twice to thrice the risk of developing bladder cancer than others. Although a person may have one or more of the above mentioned risk factors, they are not definite causes for developing the disease. Anomalies in a person’s urine and an increase in the frequency of needing to urinate are considered warning signs of this cancer. These symptoms alone are not predictions of the disease, and so a more thorough check is necessary. Many types of tests can be taken to confirm the presence, or lack of, bladder cancer. In most cases biopsies can be the best way to say if a patient has bladder cancer or not.
Bladder cancer occurs in four stages, separated as such due to the extent of penetration of cancer cells in the bladder. The first stage, Stage 0, is the least invasive form while Stage IV, the last stage, is the most invasive. Stages I to III refer to different levels of invasion in the body by the cancer cells.
Treatments vary according to each stage, with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and sometimes surgery, used. A blend of a number of therapies can also be used. It is always better to ask for the doctor’s advice on which kind of treatment would work best for the patient. Loss of apetite and feeling nauseous are side-effects of some therapy, but making sure the right nutrients are given to the patient is a vital step in recovery. Discussing with a doctor or dietician will give the patient more knowledge on the diet that the patient needs to follow, so that healing can be made faster and easier.
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