Bladder tumors can be benign or cancerous and can interfere with bladder function. Smoking is the leading cause of bladder cancer, but ongoing bladder infections and exposure to certain chemicals can also increase the risk. Patients must be monitored continuously after treatment.
A bladder tumor is a type of tumor that grows in the lining or other parts of the bladder. Cancer is caused by an overgrowth of cells in the bladder causing a tumor to form, which can be benign or cancerous. Both types of cancer can interfere with bladder function and usually require treatment.
A benign bladder tumor does not take over the normal cells in the bladder and there is no risk of it spreading to other organs. It is not known for sure what causes benign bladder tumors to start, but they are typically discovered because they produce the same set of symptoms as cancerous bladder tumors. Some of the more commonly seen symptoms include blood in the urine and painful urination.
A cancerous bladder tumor is a tumor that damages or destroys bladder tissue as it grows. Such tumors, as with any cancer, can metastasize to other parts of the body, causing cancer to start growing in those places as well. Treatment becomes more difficult once the cancer has spread. The best prognosis is obtained when the cancer can be identified and treated while still confined to the bladder.
Certain factors are known to be associated with higher levels of bladder cancer. The number one cause of bladder cancer is smoking, which is a major factor in about half of bladder cancer cases, mostly in the United States. Smokers have a bladder cancer rate that is several times higher than that of non-smokers. People who have been successfully treated for bladder cancer but continue to smoke have a much higher rate of tumor regrowth than those who have quit smoking or have never started smoking.
Other causes of bladder cancer are ongoing bladder infections and exposure to certain parasites and chemicals. People who have been infected with the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, which is generally found only in Africa, are at a high risk of developing bladder cancer, as are those who continually have bladder infections, regardless of the cause. Industrial chemicals can also cause bladder cancer to grow, especially if the person is exposed to those chemicals over a long period of time.
Once a person has had bladder cancer, the risk of it growing back is very high and the patient must be monitored continuously for years after the cancer has been removed. People who have had aggressive, fast-growing tumors should be checked every three months, while those with other types of cancers may be checked less often. Patients are monitored for years after their cancer has been treated so that any bladder cancer that comes back can be treated quickly.
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