What are the common symptoms of bladder cancer

As people continue to pay more attention to health, everyone has become aware of the need to prevent diseases. However, it is not possible to completely avoid the disease by taking preventive measures. Therefore, we must understand the symptoms of the disease to a certain extent, which can help us to treat it early when the disease occurs. Let's take a look at the symptoms of bladder cancer.

[Pathological changes - symptoms before bladder cancer] The tissue type of primary bladder cancer varies according to its origin site, with squamous cell carcinoma accounting for the majority, followed by transitional cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma is less common. The fossa naviculare of the male urethra is covered with squamous epithelium, the penile and bulbar urethra is covered with pseudostratified or columnar epithelium, and the posterior urethra is covered with transitional epithelium. 50% to 70% of penile urethral tumors originate from the bulb, and about 50% are secondary to distal urethral strictures, accompanied by mucosal squamous metaplasia, so most of them develop squamous cell carcinoma; adenocarcinoma originates from the bulbourethral glands or Lirttre glands.

Tumors of the bulbar and membranous urethra often invade the deep structures of the perineum, including the penis and scrotal skin, urogenital diaphragm, and prostate; tumors of the navicular fossa can invade the glans penis, which is rich in blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Anterior urethral tumors usually metastasize to the superficial and deep inguinal lymph nodes. Posterior urethral tumors metastasize to the obturator and internal and external iliac lymph nodes, but when the tumor invades the penis or perineal skin, it can metastasize to the inguinal lymph nodes. Bladder cancer (especially anterior bladder cancer) rarely metastasizes. The most common sites of distant metastasis are the lungs, followed by the liver and stomach, and occasionally metastases to the pleura and bones.

[Clinical manifestations - symptoms before bladder cancer] The age of onset of this disease ranges from 13 to 91 years old, and most are over 50 years old. Patients generally seek medical treatment for symptoms such as urethral obstruction, tumors, periurethral abscesses, urine extravasation, urethral fistulas, and urethral discharge. Some patients have symptoms of pain, hematuria, or hematospermia. Scaphoid fossa tumors can manifest as ulcers or papillary lesions.

Bimanual rectal examination can understand whether the tumor has extended to the prostate, anus and urogenital diaphragm. Clinical staging is based on clinical and pathological biopsy results, and reviewed according to the pathological findings of surgical specimens. Stage O: confined to the mucosa (carcinoma in situ), stage A: lesions to the submucosal layer, layer B: lesions invade the corpus spongiosum, stage C: directly extended to the extra-corpus spongiosum tissue or beyond the prostate capsule, stage D1: regional metastasis including inguinal/pelvic lymph nodes (primary tumor can be of any stage), stage D2: distant metastasis (primary tumor can be of any stage).

[Prognosis - Symptoms before bladder cancer] Most domestic cases of this disease are reported in the late stage, with a poor prognosis. Foreign reports show that the survival rate is related to the tumor site and stage. Penile bladder cancer has a better prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 43%; bulbar and prostate bladder cancer has a 14% survival rate. The survival rate of urethral tumors at different stages is: 100% for stage A, 80% for stage B, 17% for stage C, and 20% for stage D. The use of the above-mentioned extended radical surgery method may change the efficacy.

Through the above introduction, we have a better understanding of bladder cancer. I hope everyone will pay attention, especially those who are struggling to prevent bladder cancer. If you have related symptoms, you must seek medical attention in time and strive for early detection and early treatment. Only in this way can we have a healthy body.