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The bladder is basically a hollow organ that is found in the pelvic region of both men and women. The primary function of the bladder is that it collects as well as stores the urine that is produced by the kidneys.

Bladder cancer is typically found on account of abnormal cell activity in the cells that line the inner walls of the bladder. Bladder cancer in women is known to affect women who are usually more than 40 years of age.

Risk Factors

Although there are no direct causes of bladder cancer in both men and women, there are certain risk factors that tend to increase the chances of an individual developing bladder cancer.

• One of the primary risk factors for bladder cancer in women and men is smoking. When a person smokes, the body of the individual tends to process the harmful chemicals and some of these chemicals are excreted from the body in the urine that passes through the bladder. Over a period of time, these chemicals tend to damage the lining of the bladder thereby increasing the risk of developing bladder cancer.
• This is followed by chemical exposure on account of the work environment which is common amongst hair stylists who work with chemical dyes and workers in chemical industries.
• Additionally, women whose diet comprises of a high proportion of animal fats and fried meats are also at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer.

Symptoms

Many a times, women suffering from bladder cancer are unaware of the same till the cancer reaches the advanced stage. This is very common as bladder cancer does not have any visible symptoms in the initial stages.

Some of the common symptoms of bladder cancer in women are:

• Blood in the urine or dark rust colored urine. This is usually the first warning sign of bladder cancer. In the initial stages the urine may also be slightly pink in color which will gradually move to bright red colored urine which may or may not have clots.
• Women who suddenly have a chronic case of urinary tract infections or bladder inflammation or urinary stones should also get themselves checked for bladder cancer.
• Another one of the bladder cancer symptoms in women is an inflammation of the area between the diaphragm and the sacrum.
• In some cases of bladder cancer women are also known to experience pain or spasms or general discomfort in the groin or pelvic area. This may also be accompanied with swelling for no apparent reason in their lower extremities.

Treatment

The treatment for bladder cancer in women depends on the stage at which the cancer is detected.

• In the initial stages of bladder cancer the treatment options available would include surgery to remove only the tumor and leave the rest of the bladder intact. Additionally, the doctor may also advise chemotherapy at this stage directly into the bladder.
• On the other hand in the second and third stage of bladder cancer in women, the treatment options includes surgery to remove part of or the entire bladder which may be also accompanied by chemotherapy or radiation or both.
• If bladder cancer in women is detected in the final stages, then it is not possible to cure and the doctor may simply recommend chemotherapy intravenously to try and prevent the cancer cells from multiplying or spreading.

It has been observed that the survival rate for women suffering from bladder cancer is almost 47% depending on the stage at which the cancer is detected.

References

• http://www.roboticoncology.com/bladder-cancer/

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