The most prevalent bladder cancer symptoms are painful urination which is increased in frequency and hematuria (presence of blood in the urine). Apart from these blood traces in urine, urine color can range from brownish to dark reddish amber.
Upon having a major staining in the color of your urine, you should go and see your physician for medical diagnosis and treatment. In addition, you make a consultation with an urologist, a medical doctor who specializes in urinary tract infections and conditions such as bladder cancer.
Diagnosing Bladder Cancer Symptoms
Confirmation of bladder cancer symptoms will all begin with a complete physical exam of the abdomen and the pelvis to ascertain if there are any presences of tumors or any irregular growths. This is done via vaginal or rectal examination.
Your doctor will afterward collect urine sample for lab tests – the urinalysis. This will supply important information on the red and white blood cells, cancer cells as well as other factors that can signify additional chemical abnormalities that could present as bladder cancer symptoms.
Additionally, intravenous pyelogram or IVP is utilized to provide images of the urinary bladder by making use of x-rays. With a particular dye which is injected into a vein, its path is followed until the dye joins the urine, travels through the urinary tract after which to the bladder. By using X-rays, photographs of the bladder and also the are taken as the colored urine reaches the urinary bladder.
A minor surgery referred to as a cystoscopy could also be carried out by your urologist. A specialized tube placed on a light at the end called cystoscope is going to be inserted straight to the urinary bladder all the way to the urethra, the passage way of urine. This allows the urologist to see the urinary bladder from the end of the inserted tube. Now, your physician will be able to assess and see any kind of abnormalities or bladder cancer symptoms, presence of tumors in the surrounding area. By means of this minor surgery, the tumors that have developed in the urinary bladder could be identified by stages by collecting samples of tissue obtained from the tumor, then will be examined under a microscope. This technique is what we call biopsy. With advancements in technology, there are micro-instruments readily available for use in diagnosis which could also be employed for management of bladder cancer symptoms while doing so.
Stages of Severity: Classifying Bladder Cancer Symptoms
The degree of the tumor may be diagnosed once the required laboratory testings were done. Using a biopsy brings about the confirmation or absence of the bladder cancer symptoms, as well as the stage of the tumor, if perhaps there is any. There are five stages of bladder cancer symptoms.
Stage 0: The least severe stage happens as cancer cells only line the internal surface of the bladder.
Stage 1: The cancer cells have now penetrated the deep inner lining of the urinary bladder but the bladder muscles are not yet affected.
Stage 2: Cancer cells have already penetrated into the muscles of the bladder.
Stage 3: Cancer cells are now dispersing all over the bladder muscles as well as their surrounding tissue such as the uterus (in girls) or the prostate (in boys).
Stage 4: Regarded as the most severe stage, the cancer cells have penetrated and spread throughout the abdomen and pelvic walls. These cells can also metastasise in other areas of the body like the lymph nodes, abdominal organs and the lungs.
Treating Bladder Cancer Symptoms
Treatment of bladder cancer is dependent on the kind and degree of the condition. You’ll find various treatment methods available to you. Effective treatment methods are usually achieved upon early detection of the cancer. Consult your physician or specialist without delay if you’re going through any kind of bladder cancer symptoms.
For a better understanding of bladder cancer, Henry Magana has approximately thirthy years of experience in the healthcare industry and maintains a web site with regards to bladder cancer symptoms that you should look into.