Bladder cancer research activities have been taking place for several years now. A number of studies have already been completed but others are still on-going. Most of the studies have given very useful insights that have helped in the improvement of existing treatments as well as in the creation of newer modalities. The studies have been centred on various disease aspects that have included, among others, the causes, the precipitating factors, prevalence and incidence.
It has been shown through research that a number of risk factors for the condition exist. Smoking accounts for about 38% and 34% of cases in men and women respectively. This is according to a study that was published in the United Kingdom in the year 2010. Smokers are four times likely to suffer from the condition as compared to non-smokers according to the study. The risk is highest in long term smokers and the heavy smokers.
Occupational exposure also carries a fair share as a contributing risk factor. The earliest cases to be reported were in 1895 in some European countries for workers in dye industries. The cause and effect relationship between aromatic amines and bladder cancer has now been demonstrated in many other countries all over the world. The amines that carry the greatest risk are benzidine and naphthylamine.
Besides the aromatic amines, there are a number of other medicines, medical procedures and conditions that have been shown to increase the risk. Phenacetin and cyclophosphamide are some of the well known carcinogens. The medical procedure that causes the highest risk is irradiation of the pelvic organs which is often required in treatment of testicular cancer and cervical cancer. In some studies, the risk has been shown to be increased up to 6 times.
Positron emission tomography is a new investigative procedure that has been adopted for varied conditions including bladder cancer. In this procedure some form of radioactive dye is injected into the blood and subsequently absorbed by almost all the organs in the body. Cells that are cancerous in nature tend to absorb more dye than normal cells. A special type of scanner is then used to locate these abnormal cells.
Both the incidence and prevalence is fairly high. Statistics vary between countries and over time. In the UK it represents about 5% of all cancer cases in males and 2% in females. It is the seventh commonest in males and eleventh commonest in females. In 2010 just over 10, 000 new cases were reported of which three quarters affected males. The statistics are not very different from what is seen in the rest of the European continent.
Statistics on mortality are not encouraging. In the United Kingdom about 3000 male patients succumb every year while about 1500 women suffer the same fate. The mortality rate is highest among the advanced age groups. The encouraging thing is that the figure has gone done greatly over the last several decades.
Bladder cancer research is one of the most effective ways of getting solutions to this problem. Many new treatments have been discovered thanks to the numerous research efforts. At the same time ways of preventing the condition have also been formulated. The most important thing is to support the stalled and unpublished studies to be completed.
It has been shown through research that a number of risk factors for the condition exist. Smoking accounts for about 38% and 34% of cases in men and women respectively. This is according to a study that was published in the United Kingdom in the year 2010. Smokers are four times likely to suffer from the condition as compared to non-smokers according to the study. The risk is highest in long term smokers and the heavy smokers.
Occupational exposure also carries a fair share as a contributing risk factor. The earliest cases to be reported were in 1895 in some European countries for workers in dye industries. The cause and effect relationship between aromatic amines and bladder cancer has now been demonstrated in many other countries all over the world. The amines that carry the greatest risk are benzidine and naphthylamine.
Besides the aromatic amines, there are a number of other medicines, medical procedures and conditions that have been shown to increase the risk. Phenacetin and cyclophosphamide are some of the well known carcinogens. The medical procedure that causes the highest risk is irradiation of the pelvic organs which is often required in treatment of testicular cancer and cervical cancer. In some studies, the risk has been shown to be increased up to 6 times.
Positron emission tomography is a new investigative procedure that has been adopted for varied conditions including bladder cancer. In this procedure some form of radioactive dye is injected into the blood and subsequently absorbed by almost all the organs in the body. Cells that are cancerous in nature tend to absorb more dye than normal cells. A special type of scanner is then used to locate these abnormal cells.
Both the incidence and prevalence is fairly high. Statistics vary between countries and over time. In the UK it represents about 5% of all cancer cases in males and 2% in females. It is the seventh commonest in males and eleventh commonest in females. In 2010 just over 10, 000 new cases were reported of which three quarters affected males. The statistics are not very different from what is seen in the rest of the European continent.
Statistics on mortality are not encouraging. In the United Kingdom about 3000 male patients succumb every year while about 1500 women suffer the same fate. The mortality rate is highest among the advanced age groups. The encouraging thing is that the figure has gone done greatly over the last several decades.
Bladder cancer research is one of the most effective ways of getting solutions to this problem. Many new treatments have been discovered thanks to the numerous research efforts. At the same time ways of preventing the condition have also been formulated. The most important thing is to support the stalled and unpublished studies to be completed.
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