(845) 802-0047Bladder cancer is the #5 cause of cancer death in the United States and is the fourth most common cancer among men. More than 70,000 people will be diagnosed with bladder cancer this year in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute, and is three times more likely to occur in men than women. You may hear people talking about breast and prostate cancer, but who talks about bladder cancer? No one, unless you’ve got it.
Bladder cancer is highly curable when detected in its early stage. If your doctor did not detect any early signs of bladder cancer please contact a bladder cancer misdiagnosis lawyer to discuss steps you can take.
What Are Some Symptoms of Bladder Cancer?
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is hemoptysis, or blood in the urine. Blood in the urine can be microscopic (you can’t see it with the naked eye) or it can be gross hemoptysis (you see blood in your urine). Microscopic hemoptysis can be detected with urinalysis.
Another common symptom of bladder cancer is pain with urination, called dysuria. If you have pain while urinating, you may have a tumor that obstructs the flow of urine, thereby causing pain.
How Can I Detect Bladder Cancer Early?
The most definitive test to detect bladder cancer is cystoscopy. During cystoscopy, a small camera is inserted inside the bladder to look for signs of a tumor. Under anesthesia, the doctor can biopsy the bladder tissue to determine whether it’s aggressive and if so, how aggressive it is. In the early stage of bladder cancer, removing the tissue sample can completely remove the tumor.
In some cases, cystoscopy is not fool-proof as it may miss tumors that are very small. A new technique involves introducing a dye into the bladder, which causes cancer cells to light up and appear red, improving the detection rate.
Other Available Tests
Other tests to detect bladder cancer include urine cytology. Urine cytology is a non-invasive test where a urine sample is taken and the cells are viewed under a microscope to check for malignant cells. Urine cytology is considered good for detecting high-grade cancers, but it often misses low-grade cancers.
A test called fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) picks up chromosomal abnormalities of cells in the urine that have been known to occur in bladder cancer cells.
Fighting Bladder Cancer
The #1 thing you can do to stop bladder cancer is minimizing the risk, and the number one risk factor for bladder cancer is smoking. The carcinogens from smoking that are absorbed in the lungs are filtered through your kidneys and then stay in the bladder for as long as 4 to 5 hours. The carcinogens from smoking spend more time in your bladder than your lungs.
It can take 15 to 20 years between exposure to the carcinogens before bladder cancer develops. Just because you stopped smoking doesn’t mean you won’t get bladder cancer later in life. If you want to beat bladder cancer, avoid the biggest risk factor and stop smoking.
Contact an Attorney About Diagnosing Bladder Cancer
If you have questions regarding different strategies in detecting bladder cancer, it is important to contact a doctor right away. However, if you have been diagnosed and believe you might have a face, please contact our experienced bladder cancer misdiagnosis lawyer today.