Bladder cancer research has helped in understanding various aspects of the condition. This has helped in developing more effective treatment modalities over the years. Areas of interest have included, precipitating factors, causative agents and epidemiological characteristics as regards disease burden. Research activities have been carried out in numerous countries all over the world in a bid to establish geographical variations or similarities in disease manifestations.
It has been shown through research that a number of risk factors for the condition exist. Smoking accounts for about 38% and 34% of cases in men and women respectively. This is according to a study that was published in the United Kingdom in the year 2010. Smokers are four times likely to suffer from the condition as compared to non-smokers according to the study. The risk is highest in long term smokers and the heavy smokers.
Occupational exposure as a risk factor has the subject of numerous studies. From as early as 1895, the causal effect relationship between bladder cancer aromatic amines found in dyes has been known. The first cases were reported in some European countries but the same has now been demonstrated all over the world. Occupational studies conducted in the 1950s demonstrated that benzidine and naphthylamine carry a particularly high risk.
Apart from aromatic amines a number of other carcinogens have been discovered. The chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide and phenacetin are examples. Medical procedures such as irradiation of the pelvic region also contribute to some extent. Such irradiation may be required as a therapeutic measure for cervical or testicular cancers. For women that have undergone radiotherapy 40 or more years previously, the risk is about 6 times greater than it is in the general population
Positron emission tomography is a new investigative procedure that has been adopted for varied conditions including bladder cancer. In this procedure some form of radioactive dye is injected into the blood and subsequently absorbed by almost all the organs in the body. Cells that are cancerous in nature tend to absorb more dye than normal cells. A special type of scanner is then used to locate these abnormal cells.
The prevalence and incidence vary from one geographical location to another. They are also influenced by gender and ethnicity. In the UK, 5% of cancers are those of the bladder and in females this figure is at 2%. This makes it the seventh most common among males and eleventh most common among female patients. In 2010 close to 10,000 new cases were reported.
The mortality rate is still high in many places. In the UK, statistics indicate that about 3000 men and 1500 women die every year. Majority of these patients are those that fall in the advanced age groups due to the aggressive nature of the disease. Fortunately the general trend has been a gradual decrease in these rates over the last few decades.
Bladder cancer research is one of the most effective ways of getting solutions to this problem. Many new treatments have been discovered thanks to the numerous research efforts. At the same time ways of preventing the condition have also been formulated. The most important thing is to support the stalled and unpublished studies to be completed.
It has been shown through research that a number of risk factors for the condition exist. Smoking accounts for about 38% and 34% of cases in men and women respectively. This is according to a study that was published in the United Kingdom in the year 2010. Smokers are four times likely to suffer from the condition as compared to non-smokers according to the study. The risk is highest in long term smokers and the heavy smokers.
Occupational exposure as a risk factor has the subject of numerous studies. From as early as 1895, the causal effect relationship between bladder cancer aromatic amines found in dyes has been known. The first cases were reported in some European countries but the same has now been demonstrated all over the world. Occupational studies conducted in the 1950s demonstrated that benzidine and naphthylamine carry a particularly high risk.
Apart from aromatic amines a number of other carcinogens have been discovered. The chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide and phenacetin are examples. Medical procedures such as irradiation of the pelvic region also contribute to some extent. Such irradiation may be required as a therapeutic measure for cervical or testicular cancers. For women that have undergone radiotherapy 40 or more years previously, the risk is about 6 times greater than it is in the general population
Positron emission tomography is a new investigative procedure that has been adopted for varied conditions including bladder cancer. In this procedure some form of radioactive dye is injected into the blood and subsequently absorbed by almost all the organs in the body. Cells that are cancerous in nature tend to absorb more dye than normal cells. A special type of scanner is then used to locate these abnormal cells.
The prevalence and incidence vary from one geographical location to another. They are also influenced by gender and ethnicity. In the UK, 5% of cancers are those of the bladder and in females this figure is at 2%. This makes it the seventh most common among males and eleventh most common among female patients. In 2010 close to 10,000 new cases were reported.
The mortality rate is still high in many places. In the UK, statistics indicate that about 3000 men and 1500 women die every year. Majority of these patients are those that fall in the advanced age groups due to the aggressive nature of the disease. Fortunately the general trend has been a gradual decrease in these rates over the last few decades.
Bladder cancer research is one of the most effective ways of getting solutions to this problem. Many new treatments have been discovered thanks to the numerous research efforts. At the same time ways of preventing the condition have also been formulated. The most important thing is to support the stalled and unpublished studies to be completed.
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