The bladder is an important organ of human life. Recently, more and more patients are treating various ailments of this organ, the most dangerous of which is bladder cancer in men and women. Of course, the tumor does not appear out of the blue. It is preceded by untreated inflammation, chronic infections, the wrong way of life and stress.
The bladder and its functions
The bladder is an organ-muscle whose location is the pelvis. Its main purpose is to accumulate and remove urine from the body. The size and shape of the bubble varies depending on its overcrowding. The work of the organ is controlled by the brain, spinal cord, as well as the peripheral nervous system.
The emptying of the bladder in every person occurs in different ways. On average, up to 8 urinations per day. When the bladder is full, the nerve endings send signals to the brain, and it, in turn, sends signals to the muscles of the pelvic floor, which relax and help remove urine from the body. After that, the muscles contract again and take their initial position until the next signal arrives.
When urination occurs very often, we should talk about diseases of the bladder. Since this organ is located next to the prostate and seminal vesicles in men and in the vagina in women, doctors also diagnose other diseases that affect the functioning of the urea. The worst disease is bladder cancer, the causes, symptoms and treatment of which depend on many different factors. Therefore, if you find any ailment, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Urogenital system diseases in men
Bladder diseases are more common in women than in men. But tumors of this organ are more “in the male part”. Bladder ailments can have similar and completely different symptoms:
- Cystitis . Inflammation caused by intestinal infections or genital tract infections. Symptoms - frequent urination, during which a small amount of urine is released, pain in the perineum, sometimes blood in the urine.
- Bladder stones The disease occurs at absolutely any age, even in children. Symptoms - pain when using the toilet, blood in the urine, fever (if the disease is accompanied by an infection).
- Atony - involuntary urination. It is provoked by impaired functioning of nerve endings.
- Bladder polyps are growths that affect the mucous membrane. Specific symptoms are not observed. You can determine the development of the disease using ultrasound diagnostics, as well as when detecting blood in the urine.
- Bladder tuberculosis . It is difficult to suspect. The disease develops asymptomatically. In the later stages, back pains and blood in the urine are observed.
- An ulcer . Symptoms - pain in the groin, frequent urination.
- Tumors An insidious disease is bladder cancer, as it may not manifest itself for a long time, moving from one stage to another and bringing a person to a critical state. The main symptom is blood in the urine.
It should be noted that hematuria is one of the main symptoms, which indicates inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system. Therefore, it is not worth joking. An immediate visit to the doctor is the best solution to the problem.
Bladder cancer in men
A tumor is an abnormal cell growth in any organ. The risk of a malignant tumor rises after fifty years. Papilloma cancer is preceded by cancer, which began their malignant transformation as a result of ignoring therapy.
Most of all tumor entities subject to those people whose work involves the production and harmful chemicals, as well as people leading unhealthy lifestyle.
If a person has diseases of the genitourinary system, you need to urgently consult a doctor, otherwise bladder cancer may occur. Symptoms, basic forms and stages of cancer should be known to everyone.
Causes of Bladder Tumors
The main causes of cancer of the pelvic organs:
- Work with harmful substances.
- Smoking, alcohol abuse.
- Infectious and inflammatory processes.
- Unbalanced diet, eating too fatty foods.
- Stress, depression.
- Adenoma, prostatitis, cystitis and other diseases.
- Diabetes.
- Tumors of other organs for the treatment of which the drug Cyclophosphamide was used.
“Bladder cancer, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment” is a topic that every man should be familiar with. Since it is the representatives of the stronger sex that are most susceptible to malignant tumors in this organ.
Cancer symptoms
The most common signs that indicate the formation of cancer cells in the bladder are:
- Hematuria The main and very important symptom is blood in the urine, which is an indicator for many diseases.
- Painful urination. Pain can be in the stomach, back, and during the process itself.
- Frequent urination, in which urine is excreted in small quantities.
- Pain in the kidneys or side.
- Swelling of the legs, swelling of the bladder, kidneys.
- Weight loss, lack of appetite.
- Weakness, exhaustion.
- Edema of the scrotum.
- Fistula formation.
- Anemia.
- Pain in the groin, perineum, anus.
Bladder cancer in men may not occur for a long time. In addition, all of these symptoms are not always a sign of malignancy. These can be other diseases that are important to treat on time.
Bladder Cancer Detection Methods
Early diagnosis of tumors is always a success in their treatment. After all, cancer is not a sentence! People who are serious about their health have a good chance of a full life after the removal of the tumor. And those who know everything about bladder cancer and its first-hand treatment should generally run to the doctor with any symptoms.
Diagnose the disease using:
- Urinalysis (general and cytological).
- Cystoscopy is a study of the bladder with a special device that is installed through the urethra.
- Computed tomography - images of internal organs taken from different angles.
- Magnetic resonance imaging - a procedure similar to the previous one, only studies are carried out using magnets and radio waves.
- Biopsies.
- X-ray.
Symptoms and treatment of a bladder tumor in men depends more on the stage of the disease. Therefore, in addition to diagnosis, it is important to determine at what stage of development the tumor is.
Cancer Stages
There are several stages of cancer. The most favorable prognosis is when the tumor has not yet spread to other organs, that is, it has not metastasized.
- Zero stage - bladder cancer in men, which is a small number of abnormal cells. These cells have not yet spread to the connective tissue.
- The first stage - cancer affects the connective tissue.
- The second stage - cancer affects the muscle layers of the organ.
- The third stage is the spread of cancer to the fat layers, and from there to other organs.
- The fourth stage is metastases to any organs.
The most dangerous are stages III and IV, when the spread of cancer is difficult to stop. The treatment of these stages of the disease is a supportive and analgesic therapy. There is enough such treatment for someone for a month, someone for two. And there, as they say, "what to be - that cannot be avoided." This is why bladder cancer, the symptoms, treatment and prognosis of which are described in this article, cannot always be defeated.
Radiation therapy
For each stage of cancer, the most convenient and effective treatment regimen is selected. In this case, the patient's condition and risks to his health are always taken into account.
Radiotherapy (radiation therapy) is the effect on the tumor of high-energy beams, which destroys cancer cells completely or slows down their growth.
Both internal and external radiation therapy are used to treat bladder cancer. Internal - these are radioactive substances in needles, catheters, which are placed inside the body, close to cancer. External radiation therapy - radiation outside the body.
The method of radiation therapy is used both independently and in combination with other methods (chemotherapy or surgery).
Assign therapy courses, leaving time to restore the body. The procedure itself is painless, but it has side effects - headache, nausea, vomiting, hair loss. All symptoms disappear after completion of treatment.
Cancer chemotherapy
Tumor chemotherapy is the administration of drugs with a wide or narrow spectrum of action, which are aimed at reducing the size of a tumor or at eliminating it. Apply the method more often before and after surgery. As an independent use rarely.
The main goal of this treatment is to stop the growth of the tumor and destroy the cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is given in courses of 1-2 weeks. Between them, there must be a break to restore the body.
Chemotherapy, although effective, has quite a few side effects:
- Headache, nausea.
- Dizziness, weakness.
- Baldness.
- Diarrhea, vomiting.
- Anemia.
- Bleeding.
Bladder cancer in men should be treated more often with other methods. Chemotherapy is used as an additional measure of treatment.
Surgical cancer treatment
Surgical treatment of cancer is the main and most effective method that has been successfully used in medicine for quite some time. Contraindication - tumor growth, metastases, as well as diseases that do not allow anesthesia.
The operation is carried out in several ways:
- Transurethrally. A cystoscope is used, which is inserted through the urethral canal. The tumor is removed partially, in segments or completely.
- Radical cystectomy. Along with cancers, other organs can be removed - the prostate gland and seminiferous tubules. When the tumor has grown sufficiently, a bladder can be removed. In men, as a method of treating cancer, such an operation is performed quite often. Surgeons create an artificial bladder to further accumulate and drain urine.
After surgery, chemotherapy courses are often prescribed to eliminate the remnants of cancer cells.
The surgical method of treating cancer is quite effective if performed in the early stages of the disease. When the disease is started, the operation is no longer prescribed. Therefore, it is important to monitor any changes in your body.
Traditional cancer treatments
Traditional medicine is effective in treating many diseases and infections, but not cancer. With the help of herbs and tinctures, you can alleviate the symptoms of the disease, but you can not completely get rid of it. Therefore, you should not rely on herbs, it is better to consult a doctor immediately.
The methods of traditional medicine should be used in the postoperative period or to relieve the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
- Three times a day, drink one glass of infusion from ivy burdha. Pour one tablespoon of grass with a glass of boiling water and leave for two hours.
- Also useful are infusions from aspen bark, burdock roots, melilot, and winterhunts. Take decoctions in small sips several times a day.
- From all diseases, including cancer, traditional medicine “offers” garlic. Its healing properties help cancer cells not spread.
- It is possible to strengthen the body after cancer therapy with the help of juniper infusion with wine (100 grams of fruit should be filled with two liters of white wine). The medicine is insisted for about two weeks. Take 50 grams two to three times a day.
Bladder Cancer Prevention
Each disease is better to prevent than to treat. This is especially true of malignant tumors, which have a variety of negative consequences for the human body.
So, following simple rules, you can protect yourself from many ailments, including cancer:
- Healthy lifestyle, physical education, sport.
- Proper and balanced nutrition. Limited intake of fatty foods and soda.
- Those working with harmful substances should use personal protective equipment.
- Every year you need to undergo a general examination with specialists.
- Keep stress and depression out of your life.
- Limit alcohol and nicotine.
Do not forget about the heredity of cancer. Following the rules of prevention, the disease can be "circumvented."
Conclusion
"Bladder cancer, description, causes, treatment" - a topic that is very common today. More and more patients are coming to the hospital with tumors of the genitourinary system. If people knew how to take care of themselves, lead a healthy lifestyle and not start a disease, the number of patients would be halved.