Bladder Cancer

NJ Bladder Cancer Treatment

Bladder Cancer is a type of cancer that begins in your bladder, the balloon-shaped organ in your pelvic area that stores urine. Bladder cancer begins most often in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. Symptoms of bladder cancer include presence of blood in urine, frequent urination, painful urination, back pain, and pelvic pain. These symptoms don’t always point to cancer, but it is important to talk with your doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms. There are several treatment options available to patients of Somerset Urological Associates.

The first treatment option is to remove the tumors. Radical nephrectomy is a surgery to remove the tumor, the entire kidney, and surrounding tissue from the bladder if necessary.

Immunotherapy is another treatment option. In immunotherapy, the patient is administered allergy shots designed to boost the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses materials made either by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. Kidney cancer may be one of the few cancers that the body’s immune system can fight, which often makes immunotherapy effective in treating kidney cancer. Side effects of immunotherapy include fatigue, swelling at injection site, nausea, diarrhea, and fever.

The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy. This treatment of radiation is given from a machine outside the body. When radiation treatment is given using implants, it is called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy. Side effects of radiation therapy are diarrhea, hair loss in treatment area, nausea and vomiting, sexual changes, swelling, trouble swallowing, and urinary and bladder changes.

Lastly, chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, usually by stopping the cancer cells’ ability to grow and divide. Systemic chemotherapy is delivered through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy is popular and effective in killing cancer cells. There are many side effects and risks to chemotherapy, including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, loss of appetite, fever, mouth sores, heart problems, infertility, kidney problems, nerve damage, and risk of second cancer relapse.

There are several risk factors that contribute to one’s chances of getting bladder cancer. Smoking is the biggest risk factor, as smokers are much more likely to contract disease than nonsmokers. People over the age of 40, males, Caucasians, exposure to cancer causing chemicals, unhealthy diet, and certain parasites also put you at risk of developing bladder cancer.

Any cancer diagnosis can cause a lot of stress in one’s life, but the doctors at Somerset Urological Associates are here to help you get through it. They will provide you with respect and explain every step of your treatment to you, so that you know you are getting the best care possible. Make an appointment today by calling 908-927-0300.