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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – You may be surprised to learn that bladder cancer is the fifth most frequently diagnosed cancer in the U.S., accounting for roughly 70,000 new cases and more than 14,000 deaths annually. It is also the most expensive type of cancer to treat, with a lifetime cost of as much as $200,000 per patient. Yet for such a common disease, many people are unaware of the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for bladder cancer. For example, although the disease is more prevalent in men than in women, recent statistics show an increasing prevalence among women. Because the symptoms of bladder cancer are similar to those of other gynecologic and urinary diseases affecting females, women may be diagnosed when their disease is at a more advanced stage.
There is, in general, an alarming lack of awareness of bladder cancer among the American public, and a limited amount of information available to those suffering from the disease. Consequently, people living with bladder cancer may feel isolated. My husband John and I founded the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN—pronounced beacon) to educate the general public and the medical community about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of bladder cancer. BCAN is the first national advocacy organization dedicated to improving public awareness of bladder cancer, advancing bladder cancer research, and providing information and support to people affected by the disease.
As part of our educational mission, BCAN hosts a series of semi-annual patient forums at various sites across the country. These forums bring together medical professionals, researchers, bladder cancer patients, caregivers, and loved ones. The most recent “Understanding Bladder Cancer” forum was held October 23 in New York City, where more than 125 people gathered to exchange information and to attend presentations by prominent bladder cancer specialists who provided a broad overview of the disease, with a special focus on the importance of early detection, treatment options, and recent research advances.
Bernard H. Bochner, MD, a surgeon in the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, served as the faculty co-chair for BCAN’s patient forum in New York. As he told forum attendees, “Bladder cancer usually develops from the lining of the bladder, but when the disease grows into the deeper layers of the bladder wall, it requires more aggressive therapy to treat. Early detection is therefore critical to managing this disease effectively. People who experience blood in their urine should see a doctor immediately for evaluation.”
Bladder cancer patients understand the importance of early detection, too. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Richard Goldrosen, a 52-year-old bladder cancer patient who was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. He told me, “I was so lucky that I went to see a urologist after I saw blood in my urine following a tennis game with my son. The urologist found a tumor in my bladder, which was surgically removed. Since then I have been cancer-free. It took several episodes of seeing blood in my urine before I went to my doctor. I want others to know they should see their doctor at the first sign of blood in their urine.”
Approximately 10,000 people each year in the U.S. are diagnosed with bladder cancer at a later stage that requires bladder removal and reconstruction for treatment. Patti Hansen, wife of Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and ‘70s fashion model, recently talked in interviews with Vogue and People Magazine about facing a bladder cancer diagnosis. Her bladder was removed and surgeons reconstructed a “neobladder” using part of her intestines.
Though it is more prevalent in men, studies have shown that women are more likely to present more advanced tumors and have a worse prognosis than men at almost every stage of the disease. Smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer. Smokers get bladder cancer twice as often as people who don’t smoke. Other risk factors for bladder cancer include exposure to chemicals found in the rubber, dye, leather, printing, textile, and paint industries, as well as exposure to diesel fumes, dry cleaning fluids, and arsenic in well water. Firefighters, veterans, and hairdressers are also at higher than average risk of the disease.
The most frequent symptom of the disease is blood in the urine – a signal that one should see one’s doctor immediately. The good news is that many cases of bladder cancer, if found early, can be managed like a chronic disease. There are 600,000 bladder cancer survivors living in the U.S. By raising awareness of the risks, signs, and symptoms of bladder cancer, BCAN hopes to get greater numbers of people with bladder cancer diagnosed early. For more information on bladder cancer risks, symptoms, and treatment, please visit www.bcan.org.
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