by EBSCO Medical Review Board

Cancer is a disease in which cells grow in an abnormal way. Normally, cells divide in a controlled manner. Sometimes cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed. As a result, a mass of tissue called a tumor forms.

A tumor can be benign or malignant. A benign tumor is not cancer. It will not spread to other parts of the body. A malignant tumor is cancer. Cancer cells spread and cause damage around them. They can also enter the lymph and blood streams. This makes it easier to spread cancer to other parts of the body.

Cancer Cell Growth
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Normal Anatomy and the Development of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is cancer that starts in the bladder. The urinary bladder is a hollow, muscular organ. It is found in the pelvis. Urine made by the kidneys travels down tubes called ureters. Urine is stored in the bladder. Then, it is passed from the body through the urethra. Other structures surround the bladder. They can all be affected by cancer.

Bladder cancer can cause bleeding or interfere with how the bladder works. If it grows beyond the bladder walls, the cancer can grow into nearby structures such as the rectum, vagina, or intestines. This will interfere with how they work. It can also spread to lymph nodes or blood vessels. They carry cancer to other sites in the body. The most common sites for bladder cancer to spread are the lymph nodes in other parts of the body, the bones, lungs, liver, and belly.

The Bladder
The bladder
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Types of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is described by how invasive the tumor is. In situ, or non-muscle invasive cancer, is only found in local tissue. This means the cancer is contained a certain place and has not spread. It is the easiest to treat and offers the best chance for a cure. Muscle invasive cancers spread into the muscle layers. If the cancer has been growing for a long time, it can grow deeper and spread to other parts of the body.

The different types of bladder cancer are:

  • Urothelial carcinoma—This is the most common type. This cancer starts and grows in the deepest layer.
  • Squamous cell carcinoma —Flat cells found on the inner wall. This type of cancer is almost always invasive.
  • Adenocarcinoma —Cells that form in the glandular tissue. This type of cancer is almost always invasive.
  • Small cell carcinoma —Rare and arise from nerve cells in the glands. This type of cancer grows fast, but can be treated.
  • Sarcoma —Very rare and arise from the muscular tissue of the bladder.

References

Bladder cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/bladder-cancer. Accessed April 1, 2022.

Bladder cancer treatment. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/bladder/patient/about-bladder-cancer-pdq. Accessed April 1, 2022.

Bladder cancer. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/genitourinary-disorders/genitourinary-cancer/bladder-cancer. Accessed April 1, 2022.

Farling KB. Bladder cancer: risk factors, diagnosis, and management. Nurse Pract. 2017;42(3):26-33.

What is bladder cancer? American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer/about/what-is-bladder-cancer.html. Accessed April 1, 2022.

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