Cancer is defined as the formation of a group of abnormal cells that form into a tumor. This tumor may be located in a particular part of the body or on an organ. The name for the type of cancer a person is suffering from is given by the area where the original tumor has been found. It is important to note that a tumor which is benign is not a cancer tumor. Cancer tumors have some distinguishing features which are used to identify them. Cancer tumors tend to grow out of hand. They also tend to attack the healthy cells of the area where they are present. Finally, when the cancer becomes advanced, the disease spreads to other parts of the body. Usually, by this time, the cancer has reached a stage where curing it may not be completely possible.
Bladder cancer is the type of cancer that affects the urinary bladder. It may also be present in the urethra which is the tube that is used to pass urine out of the body. The urinary bladder is an important organ in the waste disposal part of the body as it holds urine being produced in the kidneys until there is a sufficient quantity to warrant urination. It also holds urine until a person is in a position to urinate. This is done through the proper functioning of the sphincter muscle. Bladder cancer usually occurs within the organ itself. There are many different ways to test for bladder cancer. Bladder cancer testing may be done through a visual method which involves a cystoscopy procedure. A catheter is inserted into the bladder through the urethra where images are viewed. Any abnormal mass may be biopsied in order to test the tumor for cancer. A urine test for bladder cancer would also be sufficient. However, this may also detect cancer that has occurred in the kidneys rather than the bladder. The presence of blood in the urine may be a sign of cancer in the bladder. This can be confirmed through testing the blood of the individual for cancer markers. Thus conducting a blood test for bladder cancer is not very uncommon.
The FISH test for bladder cancer is known as the fluorescence in-situ hybridization test. This complicated test uses a sample of the suspected cancer tissue which is tested to detect the presence of an exact strain of DNA which may be used to detect cancer in those cells. It is a useful technique to identify the exact type of cancer that has affected the person.