How is bladder cancer caused?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 03, 2024
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The causes of bladder cancer are not very clear so far, and they are related to factors such as environment, genetics, and lifestyle habits. However, two major risk factors are quite clear: one is smoking, and the other is long-term exposure to aromatic amines, which are occupational factors that are significant risks for causing bladder cancer.

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Written by Guan Hai Fang
Urology
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The difference between bladder tumor and bladder cancer is that a bladder tumor may be benign or malignant, whereas bladder cancer specifically refers to a malignant tumor.

The difference between bladder tumors and bladder cancer generally lies in whether the growth inside the bladder is benign or malignant. Normally, nothing should grow inside the bladder. However, if a growth does appear, it can be referred to as a bladder tumor if it is benign, or bladder cancer if it is malignant. Bladder tumors are typically round with clear boundaries, which can be observed through ultrasound or cystoscopy. On the other hand, if the growth in the bladder resembles seaweed or cauliflower, with unclear boundaries, erosion, bleeding, or other symptoms, it can be referred to as bladder cancer. Generally, the primary treatment for such cases is surgical removal.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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How is bladder cancer caused?

The causes of bladder cancer are not very clear so far, and they are related to factors such as environment, genetics, and lifestyle habits. However, two major risk factors are quite clear: one is smoking, and the other is long-term exposure to aromatic amines, which are occupational factors that are significant risks for causing bladder cancer.

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Written by Liu Mei Fen
Medical Oncology
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What is the best medicine for bladder cancer infusion?

Bladder perfusion chemotherapy involves infusing chemotherapy drugs directly into the bladder through a catheter to control tumor growth and reduce the recurrence rate after surgery. Generally, the drugs with significant effects on bladder perfusion fall into three categories. The first category is the anthracyclines, including doxorubicin, epirubicin, and pirarubicin. The second category includes platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin. The third category is vinorelbine. According to current big data research, vinorelbine bladder perfusion tends to have a lower recurrence rate. Without postoperative bladder perfusion chemotherapy, 60%-70% of patients will eventually experience recurrence. With bladder perfusion chemotherapy, the recurrence rate can be reduced to 20%-30%.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Is the bladder cancer embryonic antigen high?

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is significantly elevated, mainly seen in gastrointestinal tumors, especially in colorectal cancers such as colon and rectal cancers, where CEA elevation is more pronounced. It can also be notably higher in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and bladder cancer might show an increase in CEA as well. However, the increase in CEA is not necessarily consistent, and its diagnostic value for bladder cancer is limited due to low specificity and sensitivity, making it not very instructive. The definitive diagnosis of bladder cancer primarily involves cystoscopy and taking a biopsy to confirm the presence of cancer.

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Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
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The most common clinical manifestations of bladder cancer

The most common clinical manifestations of bladder cancer include: one initial clinical presentation is hematuria, which typically appears as painless, intermittent gross hematuria, sometimes it can also manifest as microscopic hematuria. The hematuria may occur only once or last from one day to several days, and it can subside or stop on its own. The color of the hematuria can be light red, possibly dark brown, generally dark red. The amount of bleeding and the duration of the hematuria are not necessarily proportional to the malignancy degree, size, scope, and number of the tumor. Additionally, bladder cancer patients can experience symptoms of bladder irritation, such as frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, and difficulties in urination, etc.