Diagnosis and Treatment of Bladder Cancer
The bladder provides short-term storage for urine, which is then released outside the body through the urethra via muscular contractions.
The American Cancer Society reports that in 2004, 60,200 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. Men are three to four times more likely than women to have bladder cancer, and Caucasians are more prone to develop bladder cancer than African-Americans, Hispanics, or Asians.
Types of Bladder Cancer
- Transitional cell (urothelial) carcinoma represents 90% of all cases of bladder cancer. It begins in the cells that line the bladder.
- Squamous cell carcinoma represents 6-8% of all bladder cancer cases. Squamous cells are those found on the surface of the skin as well as in the lining of the bladder.
- Adenocarcinoma (“adeno” for gland) is cancer that begins in a glandular organ (e.g., lung or breast) and then spreads (metastasizes) to the bladder. It represents only 2% of all cases of bladder cancer.
Your physician will also "grade" and "stage" your cancer. This essentially tells the doctor the rate of the cancer growth and whether and/or how much it has spread within or beyond the bladder itself.
Risk Factors and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Cigarette smoking has been proven to be a major risk factor for cancer of the bladder. Other risk factors include: occupational chemical exposure, gender, age (over 40), chronic bladder infections or bladder stones, race, family or personal history of bladder cancer, and parasitic infections (not likely in U.S.).
Some possible symptoms you may experience are blood in the urine, painful or frequent urination, or pelvic pain.
Stanford Cancer Center/Stanford Urologic Oncology Program Expertise
A Team Approach
The Urologic Oncology Program at the Stanford Cancer Center combines physicians from the departments of urology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology. Having doctors will these specialties together in the same program makes your visits easier and allows easy scheduling of sequential appointments.
In addition, patients diagnosed with bladder cancer who desire further evaluation and possible treatment, or a second opinion regarding proposed treatment, can undergo evaluation by a group of urologists and radiation oncologists who specialize in the management of genitourinary malignancies through the urology tumor board.
Experts With Access to Leading Treatments
There is no such thing as routine cancer. Because the Stanford Cancer Center is internationally recognized for excellence, urologic physicians see a large number of patients and have expertise recognizing and treating rare bladder cancers, such as pheochromocytoma (a tumor that secretes
catecholamine). This expertise ensures that you can be confident in your diagnosis.
Your Stanford urologic oncology doctor will discuss with you and your family your preferences and tolerances for certain tests, medications, and other treatments. Your diagnostic and treatment choices depend on factors such as your age, health status, and the stage of your cancer.
Tests that your Stanford Cancer Center doctor may recommend include:
- Urine and blood lab work
- Cystoscopy in which a flexible tube with viewing capability is inserted through the urethra in order to look for obstructions such as a tumor
- Intravenous pyelogram (type of x-ray to check your blood flow to kidney and bladder and detect possible abnormalities)
- Bladder tumor marker studies that look at cellular substances that a bladder tumor could release into the urine
Along with the standard therapies such as surgeries, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, Stanford Cancer Center physicians have long-standing experience with advanced treatments such as use of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy, and minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
Furthermore, your Stanford specialist may also refer you to one of their ongoing clinical trials. For example, gallium maltolate (a soluble metal that may fight cancer and reduce the risk of bone metastasis) is currently being studied at Stanford and your physician can help determine whether it might be beneficial for you to participating in this research.
Finally, when radical surgery is necessary, you can be assured that not only are our physicians highly skilled in the primary surgery, they are also acutely concerned with your well-being following surgery. They will ensure that you are fully informed and receive the highest quality post-operative care and therapy to protect your quality-of-life.
Trial Administration