Bladder Cancer Treatment

Bladder cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the bladder.

There are three types of bladder cancer that begin in cells in the lining of the bladder. These cancers are named for the type of cells that become malignant (cancerous):

Transitional cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in cells in the innermost tissue layer of the bladder. Most bladder cancers begin in the transitional cells.

Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that may form in the bladder after long-term infection or irritation.

Adenocarcinoma: Cancer that begins in glandular (secretory) cells that may form in the bladder after long-term irritation and inflammation.

Cancer that is confined to the lining of the bladder is called superficial bladder cancer. Cancer that begins in the transitional cells may spread through the lining of the bladder and invade the muscle wall of the bladder or spread to nearby organs and lymph nodes; this is called invasive bladder cancer.

Bladder Cancer Overview

The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen (pelvis).

As it fills with urine, the muscular wall of the bladder stretches and the bladder gets larger.

The urine is then expelled from the bladder.

As the cells multiply, they form an area of abnormal cells. Medical professionals call this a tumor.

Tumors are cancerous only if they are malignant.

Of the different types of cells that form the bladder, the cells lining the inside of the bladder wall are most likely to develop cancer. The resulting cancers are named after the cell types.

Urothelial carcinoma (transitional cell carcinoma): This is by far the most common type of bladder cancer in the United States. The so-called transitional cells are normal cells that form the innermost lining of the bladder wall. In transitional cell carcinoma, these normal lining cells undergo changes that lead to the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of cancer.

In the United States, urothelial carcinomas account for more than 90% of all bladder cancers.

The kidneys, the ureters (narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder, and the urethra are lined with these cells.

Bladder cancers are classified (staged) by how deeply they invade into the bladder wall, which has several layers. Many physicians subdivide bladder cancer into superficial and invasive disease. Superficial bladder cancer is limited to the innermost linings of the bladder (known as the mucosa and lamina propria). Invasive bladder cancer has at least penetrated the muscular layer of the bladder wall.

Nearly all adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas are invasive. Thus, by the time these cancers are detected, they have usually already invaded the bladder wall.

Many urothelial cell carcinomas are not invasive.

In addition to stage (how deep the cancer penetrates in the bladder wall), the grade of the bladder cancer provides important information and can help guide treatment. Cells from a high-grade cancer have more changes in form and have a greater degree of abnormality when viewed microscopically than do cells from a low-grade tumor.

Low-grade tumors are less aggressive.

Benign (noncancerous) papillary tumors (papillomas) grow projections out into the hollow part of the bladder. A small percentage (15%) do invade the bladder wall. Some invasive papillary tumors grow projections both into the bladder wall and into the hollow part of the bladder.

In addition to papillary tumors, bladder cancer can develop in the form of a flat, red (erythematous) patch on the mucosal surface. Of all types of cancer, bladder cancer has an unusually high propensity for recurring after treatment. Bladder cancer has a recurrence rate of 50%-80%. Bladder cancer is most common in industrialized countries.

Bladder cancer affects three times as many men as women. Whites, both men and women, develop bladder cancers twice as often as other ethnic groups.

The treatment of bladder cancer depends on how deep the tumor invades into the bladder wall. Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity.". Untreated, superficial tumors may gradually begin to infiltrate the muscular wall of the bladder. The hemocyanin found in Concholepas concholepas blood has immunotherapeutic effects against bladder and prostate cancer. In a research made in 2006 mice were primed with C. concholepas before implantation of bladder tumor (MBT-2) cells.