Bladder cancer staging standards and life expectancy

Bladder cancer is a very complicated disease. In order to give a detailed description of the severity of the disease, bladder cancer is scientifically staged in medicine. The treatment methods are different at different stages of the disease, which can also help everyone understand the condition more clearly.

1. Bladder cancer staging

Bladder cancer stages are divided into: CIS, T1, T2, T3 and T4. According to the extent of lymph node metastasis, it can be divided into N0-N2, and the presence or absence of distant metastasis can be divided into M0 and M

The bladder's mucosal epithelial cells are called urothelial cells, and the cancer that arises from them is called urothelial carcinoma, which accounts for 90%-95% of all bladder cancers and is the most common type of bladder cancer. Other less common bladder cancers include squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Second, bladder cancer also depends on the tumor type

1) Some of them look like cauliflower, some look like water plants, and there is a thin stalk connected to the bladder wall, so you have to look carefully;

2) Flat, flaky or strip-like in appearance, velvety, with a red surface, and no pedicle connected to the bladder wall;

3) Solid, warty-like growths that are lumpy, broad-based, and connected to the bladder wall by a wide pedicle. About 70% of urothelial carcinomas are papillary, and they have a better prognosis than broad-based and sessile tumors.

Generally speaking, bladder cancer is a relatively harmless cancer. If it is discovered and there is no metastasis, it is recommended to surgically remove part of the bladder. The bladder should be saved as much as possible without affecting the quality of life. If it is serious, bladder removal and external urine bag are also possible. I have seen patients living with urine bags for 10 years. It is good to take good care of their health. Electrosurgical resection is indeed convenient and quick to remove the tumor through the urethra, but the recurrence rate is relatively high, because after all, the bladder is viewed through an instrument, and smaller tumors are not easy to detect. In addition, the bladder tumor base will still exist, which is also a hidden danger of recurrence.

3. The so-called staging, in layman's terms, is early stage and late stage. It refers to the duration of the tumor after it forms a lesion. The longer the time, the late stage, and the greater the invasion of cancer cells to the tissue; while the earlier the time, the early stage, and the less invasion of cancer cells to the tissue. At the same time, early tumors generally have a high degree of cell differentiation and are low-grade; while late tumors generally have a low degree of cell differentiation and are high-grade.