Bladder cancer: A growing concern amongst healthcare professionals

Cancer is definitely one of the major health concerns in today’s time, owing to the lack of definitive treatments, unknown causes, late diagnosis, terminal illness, and so on. Not only is it difficult to assess who is at risk and who isn't but also treating the health issue can become complicated for many patients. Therefore, it is truly a concern for professionals in the medicine industry, especially when it comes to rare type cancers.

Bladder cancer is one such type which is becoming a growing concern for healthcare professionals. Not only has the disease come to light recently but also it’s hard to understand the symptoms and decide the treatment methods. This is why having awareness at the early stage is so crucial and will definitely prove to be helpful. In this following article, we will explain the major facts you must know about bladder cancer.

What is the urinary bladder?

The urinary bladder is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located at the lower abdomen. Its main function is to hold the formed urine as long as the brain doesn’t send the neural signal for the organ to pass through. The bladder is made of multiple layers of tissues owing to the fact that it needs to contract and relax constantly for pushing out the urine from your body.

What is bladder cancer and what are its types?

Bladder cancer is defined as uncontrolled growth of cells of the internal tissues. Since the organ has different tissue layers, the bladder cancer can be divided into multiple types. Also, the initial growth of this health problem starts from the inner layer of the organ, which is why it can be quite hard to detect during the early stages. In fact, the visible or detectable symptoms of bladder cancer can be observed quite late, which is why this particular cancer is considered to be more life-threatening.

The types of bladder cancer are:

• Transitional cell cancer occurs at the inner lining of the organ and is often associated with the initial stages.

• Squamous cells are present near the urethra and can easily grow back into the blood in case of infective inflammations, thereby causing squamous cell cancer.

• Adenocarcinoma usually occurs when secretory or glandular cells of the bladder are affected from uncontrolled growth.

What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?       

• The appearance of blood clots in the urine proves a major infection in the bladder inner lining. Sometimes, during the early stages, the urine might have a slight reddish tinge which indicates the presence of RBCs.

• Another major symptom of bladder cancer is the feeling of excruciating pain during urination or as you continue to drink water.

• Due to inflammations of the bladder walls, you may suffer from lower back pain which will be relational in type.

What causes bladder cancer?

The causes of bladder cancer are yet to be listed down in a definitive manner. However, you can get an idea from the risk factors of developing this particular terminal health problem:

• Drinking water having high concentration of chlorine and arsenic

• Genetics and heredity

• Smoking cigarettes or other forms of tobacco

• Using the catheters for prolonged time

• Not maintaining hygiene and sanitation

How can bladder cancer be detected?

A series of steps are required to check whether the person is suffering from bladder cancer or simple inflammation and infection in the organ. Some of these examination processes are:

• Vaginal and rectum examination

• Cystoscopy

• Urine examination- routine and culture

• Ultrasonography and MRI

• Urine cytology

Conclusion

Even though bladder cancer is pretty rare and not many cases have been reported till date, the risks are increasing, especially with water pollution. Therefore, if the treatments aren’t improved, soon it will become one of the most deadly diseases in the world. for more information on this consult our doctor at medipulse for proper cure.

When Will You Need Surgery For Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are hard deposits that are found in your kidneys. They are made out of calcium or uric acid. Kidney stones start out small, but they grow bigger when more and more minerals and waste products like uric acid are added to them. The size of the kidney stone defines the amount of problems it can cause. When the stones are small, they can be passed by the urinary tract without the need for treatment. When the stones become bigger, they tend to get stuck in the urinary tract and require surgical intervention to be removed. Here are some situations where surgery is required for removing a kidney stone.

• When the stone becomes too large to be passed down your urinary tract

• When the stone is lodged somewhere in the urinary tract causing immense pain

• When the stone is disrupting the flow of urine out of your kidneys

• When the stone has caused or causing multiple urinary tract infections in your body.

These are some of the situations where surgery for kidney stones becomes necessary. Now that you know about the situations where surgery is recommended and performed. Let’s talk about the different types of surgical options that are available for treating kidney stones.

Different Types of Treatment Procedures for Kidney Stones

• Ureteroscopy

Ureteroscopy is a treatment procedure for kidney stones. This process can treat stones in both kidneys and the uterus of the patient. This procedure is performed using a flexible and thin scope to find and remove the stones lodged in your urinary tract or uterus. This procedure is non-invasive, meaning there are no cuts made on your body for removing the stones. General anaesthesia is used to put the patient to sleep for the duration of this procedure.

This procedure does not require hospital admission as the patient can be home the same day. Doctors pass a scope through your bladder, then the ureter finally reaches your kidneys. The doctors use a small basket to remove the stones when they are small; if they are larger in size, the doctors pass a laser in through the scope as well to find and break the stone into smaller pieces.

The risks associated with ureteroscopy are

• Bleeding

• Narrowing of the ureter

• Infection

• Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL) is one of the most common forms of treatment for kidney stones. This procedure is best suited for removing small and medium-sized kidney stones. SWL is also a non-invasive procedure that does not require any cuts to be made on your body. Usually, the patient is put under local anaesthesia, and they can go home the same day itself.

This procedure starts with an X-ray or ultrasound of your kidneys to find the stone or stones located inside. Upon locating the stones, the doctor uses a high-powered shockwave to break the stones down into smaller pieces. The shockwaves go through your skin and break down the pieces inside. This completes the procedure, and the patient is advised to go home and consume large amounts of liquids to flush the stones out of their system through their urine.

SWL is a safe procedure; in rare cases, if the stone does not completely pass through your urine, the procedure can be safely repeated again until all the stones or parts of the stone are completely out of your system. Some of the side effects associated with SWL include

• Damage to the kidney

• Infection

• Stone blocking the flow of urine in the urinary tract

• Bleeding in and around the kidney

• Open Surgery

Open surgeries have become a rare form of treatment for kidney stones nowadays. However, if all the other procedures fail because the stone is too big or due to other reasons, open surgery is usually the only way to treat the problem. As the name suggests, an open surgery is an invasive surgical procedure that requires hospital admission for a few days of hospital stay to keep the patient in observation.

The open surgery process starts with the doctors using anaesthesia to knock out the patient for the period of the surgery. Then the doctors cut open the patient from the side and then cut into their kidney as well. The doctors then remove the stone from the opening created in the kidney. It can take up to 4-6 weeks to fully recover from open surgery. However, surgery does not come with its own set of side effects.

Kidney stones require medical treatment, and they need to be taken out of your system most times with surgery. It is crucial for you to understand your situation and make an informed decision along with your doctor to eliminate the stones from your system safely. Now that you know in detail about the situations where you need surgery for your kidney and the types of surgical procedures that are available to you. Be sure to pick the option that is the most affordable and best suited for your problems.

How to detect kidney stone

Medically termed as nephrolithiasis, the formation of kidney stones is one of the most common ailments in adults. Scientifically, these stones formed in kidneys are known as renal calculi, which are basically hard substances formed of salts and minerals made up of calcium and uric acid in your body.

These stones create an obstruction of the flow of urine in the urinary system, or create blockages in the kidneys and hamper the basic functioning of them. The size of these stones is invariable, and can vary between a fraction of an inch to even the size of the whole kidney.

The first and foremost major effect of formation of stones in kidneys results in irregular functioning of the urinary system, of which there are many symptoms. Usually, one of every 20 adults around the world faces this condition once in their entire lifespan. Also, being a disease more common in men as compared to women, with the most prominent age group of patients being between 20 to 49 years of age.

Following are some of the very basic symptoms as per which one can detect the formation of kidney stones in his/her body:-

• Pain in the lower back – If you are suffering from excruciating pain in your lower back, and it is not going off even after a change in body postures while sitting, standing or even laying on your bed, it signals that your kidney(s) is suffering from the formation of kidney stones within.

• Pain in abdomen or groin – Not only in your lower back, but the pain caused by the formation of kidney stones can become more prominent and longing in terms of duration if it is caused in abdomen or regions surrounding groin. This pain usually waxes and wanes with time, and might vary in the degree of severity.

• Nausea and vomiting – If you are suffering from sudden nausea or conditions of vomiting after suffering from continuous pain in lower back or abdomen, it is one clear sign of formation of kidney stones. It can be followed by pain which is usually very high in terms of severity.

• Bloody urine – Kidney is one of the key organs of the urinary system of your body, and if there is formation of stones in your kidney(s), the process of formation of urine will eventually get disturbed. This will lead to the irregular formation of urine, which usually flows out with blood.

• Fever and chills – The phenomenon of fever occurs due to a variety of reasons, and the formation of kidney stones too is one of them. If you are suffering from severe fever, accompanied with pain in lower back or abdomen or chills in your whole body, it is one clear indication of this medical emergency.

• Lack or difficulty while urinating – Even after consumption of liquid (prominently water), even if you are not able to urinate as your usual frequency, it signals that your kidney(s) are unable to fully function for the required process in the urinary system of your body. In such cases, the flow of urine is obstructed by the stones formed within the kidney(s).

• Penile/testicular pain – More prominently a condition faced by male individuals, if one is suffering from unusual pain in other parts surrounding the urinary system, like penis or testicles, it is perceived as a side effect of the ill-functioning of kidney(s) or urinary system in a whole.

While all of the aforementioned phenomena are usually perceived as prior symptoms of kidney stones, there are further in-depth processes and diagnosis which can further confirm the formation of kidney stones and make way for the treatment processes.

The first step of the diagnosis of kidney stones is the conduction of imaging tests, as per which a non-contrast CT scan is done in an emergency room. Conduction of these tests usually confirms the exact reason which is causing the lower back and abdominal pain, which is one of the most common reasons for the formation of kidney stones.

If these tests signal a basic idea of confirmation of kidney stones, further processes like radiation and ultrasound as well as abdominal X-Rays are carried out, which give a further elaborative idea of the ill-functioning of the components and reasons behind the formation of kidney stones.

All these tests and treatment should be carried out under careful supervision as per the guidance and advises followed by concerned and well-trained medical professionals.