Smoking for Long Years Shortens Bladder Cancer Pathway

Bladder cancer, which is the most common malignant tumours of the urinary tract, is 3-4 times more common in men than in women. Due to the fact that smoking is very common in our country, the disease is the third most common type of cancer in men. Early diagnosis, doctor-patient compliance and close follow-up are of great importance in order to achieve successful results in treatment. Memorial Ankara Hospital Urology Department Specialists gave information about bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment methods.

Smoking is often the basis of bladder cancer

Bladder cancers occur in the bladder, that is, in the bladder, which is part of the urinary tract. More than 90percent originate from the membrane that paved the bladder, which is called ’urethral carcinoma’. Although it is encountered in young people, bladder cancer is generally considered as middle- and advanced-age disease. While the incidence is less than 1percent in the 40-50 age range, it increases to 3.5 percent after the age of 70. Hereditary and environmental factors are thought to be effective in the formation of the disease. Smoking is at the forefront of environmental factors. Those working in paint, textile, oil, rubber and chemical works are at occupational risk. There are also publications indicating that the risk of the disease increases due to the consumption of sweeteners and intense tea and coffee. Although it is said that hair dyeing in women increases the risk of bladder cancer, there is no definite evidence of this view. However, there are also opinions that high-fibre vegetables reduce the risk of bladder cancer.

Patients in the risk group should undergo urinalysis at regular intervals

The most common symptom of the disease is painless urinary bleeding. The diagnosis is made by ultrasonography due to such complaints and cystoscopy performed by entering through the urinary canal. The rate of early diagnosis in bladder cancer is as high as 75 percent. It is beneficial for the patients in the risk group to have a simple urinalysis at regular intervals to check for hidden bleeding in their urine in terms of early diagnosis of the disease.

It is of great importance in chemotherapy applications and surgical treatment

In the treatment of bladder cancer, it is examined whether the disease spreads to the muscle layer in the bladder wall. In cancers that are not thought to progress to the muscle layer yet, first-line treatment is performed by scraping the cancer with a closed method called TUR-M and giving a single dose of chemotherapy into the bladder within 24 hours after the procedure. Then, the risk of recurrence and progression of cancer is calculated by looking at the pathology result. Intra-bladder chemotherapy or vaccine applications are performed with catheter between six weeks and three years in risky patients. It is also important to perform cystoscopy and cytological control at varying frequencies according to the risk of recurrence. On the other hand, if the cancer progresses to the muscle layer, the gold standard in the treatment is to remove the entire bladder together with the prostate and surrounding tissues and to create a new bladder by removing some of the intestines.

Bladder cancers are a disease that can be completely treated, especially when it is noticed in the early period. Although it is completely eliminated by first attempts, there is a risk that these cancers will recur over time or turn into worse cancers. Studies show that 45-80percent of tumours that have not progressed to the muscle layer recur, and about 10-15 percent turn into worse behavioural tumours. Intra-bladder chemotherapy and vaccine applications are of great importance in preventing this situation. Despite the risk of recurrence, patients should not neglect their regular follow-up. Doctor-patient compliance and close follow-up are the ways of success in the treatment of bladder cancer.

Prepared by the Medical Editorial Board. Our health library contents have been prepared for informational purposes only and with the scientific content on the registration date. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis or treatment about your health, please consult your doctor or health institution.