Bladder Cancer

Early Detection of Bladder Cancer Important

Question: I am 50 years old and have been working with metal processing and painting of metal sheets for many years. Unfortunately, I also smoke. Do I need to be tested for bladder cancer?

Answer: Cancer is a leading cause of death. Early detection leads to successful treatment and can prevent death and disability.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and arises from cells lining the bladder wall.

Cigarette smoking and occupational exposures to chemicals cause an increased risk for bladder cancer.

The smoke and chemicals are inhaled, travel through the lung into the blood and are squeezed into the urine. The chemical sits in the bladder and works on the lining to change it into malignant cells that grow into cancer. If the cancer is left undetected and spreads, it may shorten life.

When bladder cancer is diagnosed early, the five-year survival rate is 94 percent. If diagnosed at an advanced stage, however, the five-year survival rate can be less than 10 percent.

The first sign of bladder cancer is traces of blood in the urine, seen only with a microscope. The problem with blood in the urine is that only 1 in 18 of those with blood in the urine has cancer, so there is a great expense to find one cancer among many with traces of blood.

American scientists at MIT have found a urine test, called NMP22, which detects bladder cancer products in the urine early.

The combination of urine test for blood and cancer traces improve our ability to detect bladder cancer early and cure it before it spreads and become deadly.

On the Lakeshore, many citizens worked or are working in industry and are exposed to chemicals. Many also smoke.

We recommend that every person age 40 and higher who has a history of working with chemicals or smoking be tested annually by the combined urine tests, to make sure that he or she does not carry cancer in the bladder.