Blood or blood clots in the urine
Hematuria requires prompt medical attention to determine its underlying cause, which may include infections, cancer, or blood clotting disorders.
THE SIGNS
Frequent urination
Frequent urination can indicate various conditions, including infections, diabetes, and medication side effects, requiring medical attention.
Painful urination
Dysuria or painful urination can indicate medical conditions like UTIs, STIs, and kidney stones and requires prompt medical attention for diagnosis and treatment.
Back pain
Back pain can have various causes such as muscle strain, injury, arthritis, herniated discs, or spinal stenosis, and treatment options depend on the underlying cause and severity of the pain.
Cigarette smoke
Cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke are significant risk factors for bladder cancer, with more than a doubled risk associated with smoking.
SYMPTOMS
Radiation exposure
Radiation exposure for cancer treatment can increase the risk of developing other types of cancer, including bladder cancer.
Exposure to certain chemicals
Certain chemicals used in industries such as dyes, rubber, leather, paint, textiles, and hairdressing may increase the risk of developing cancer, according to studies.
Chronic catheter use
People who require long-term catheterization of the bladder are at higher risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer, due to chronic irritation
Surgery
Bladder cancer treatment options include surgery such as TURBT or radical cystectomy, and may be followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
TREATMENTS
Chemotherapy
Intravesical therapy delivers cancer-killing drugs directly to the bladder via a tube inserted into the urethra, targeting cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy combined with TURBT and chemotherapy can be an alternative to surgery for bladder cancer treatment, depending on tumor factors.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses drugs to target genetic changes in cancer cells, such as FGFR gene inhibitors which block cell growth signals.