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Table of Contents What is screening?
General Information About Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
Screening for Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
Risks of Screening for Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
Get More Information From NCI
Changes to This Summary (09/07/2007)
Questions or Comments About This Summary
About PDQ
What is screening?
Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find
cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may
be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun
to spread.
Scientists are trying to better understand which
people are more likely to get certain types of cancer. They also study the things
we do and the things around us to see if they cause cancer. This
information helps doctors recommend who should be screened for cancer, which
screening tests should be used, and how often the tests should be done.
It is important to remember that your doctor does not necessarily
think you have cancer if he or she suggests a screening test. Screening
tests are given when you have no cancer symptoms.
If a screening test result is abnormal, you may need to have more tests done to find out if you have cancer. These are called diagnostic tests.
See the following PDQ treatment summaries for information about diagnosis and treatment of bladder and other urothelial cancers.
Back to Top General Information About Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
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Bladder and other urothelial cancers are diseases in which malignant (cancer) cells
form in the urothelium.
The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower part of the abdomen. It is shaped like a small balloon and has a muscle wall that
allows it to get larger or smaller. The bladder holds urine until it is passed out of the body. Urine is the liquid waste that is made by
the kidneys as they clean the blood. The urine passes from the two kidneys
into the bladder through two tubes called ureters. When the bladder is emptied
during urination, the urine goes from the bladder to the outside of the body
through another tube called the urethra.
The urothelium is a layer of tissue that lines the urethra, bladder, ureters, prostate, and renal pelvis. Cancer that begins in the urothelium of the bladder is much more common than cancer that begins in the urothelium of the urethra, ureters, prostate, or renal pelvis. Because it is the most common form of urothelial cancer, bladder cancer is the focus of this summary.
There are 3 types of cancer that begin in the urothelial cells of the
bladder. These cancers are named for the
type of cells that become malignant (cancerous):
Most newly diagnosed bladder cancers occur in people 60 years and older.
In the United States, bladder cancer occurs more often in men than in women, and more often in whites than in blacks. As the U.S. population has gotten older, the number of people diagnosed with bladder cancer has increased, but the number of deaths from bladder cancer has decreased. This is true for men and women of all races over the last 30 years. However, blacks and women with bladder cancer are more likely to die from the disease than white men with bladder cancer are.
Smoking, gender, and diet can affect the risk of developing bladder cancer.
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease
is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. People who think they may be at risk should discuss this with their doctor. Risk factors for bladder cancer include:
- Using tobacco, especially smoking cigarettes.
- Being 60 years or older, male, or white.
- Being exposed to certain substances, such as soot from coal, or chemicals used to make rubber, certain dyes, or textiles.
- Working as a dry cleaner or in places where paper, rope, twine, or clothing is made.
- Taking A. fangchi, a Chinese herb.
- Drinking water that has high levels of arsenic.
- Having a history of many bladder infections.
- Long-term use of urinary catheters.
- Past treatment with certain anticancer drugs or radiation therapy to the pelvis.
- Having a kidney transplant.
- Having an inherited disorder called hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC; Lynch syndrome).
Back to Top Screening for Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
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Tests are used to screen for different types of cancer.
Some screening tests are used because they have been shown to be helpful both in finding cancers early and in decreasing the chance of dying from these cancers. Other tests are used because they have been shown to find cancer in some people; however, it has not been proven in clinical trials that use of these tests will decrease the risk of dying from cancer.
Scientists study screening tests to find those with the fewest risks and most benefits. Cancer screening trials also are meant to show whether early detection (finding cancer before it causes symptoms) decreases a person's chance of dying from the disease. For some types of cancer, finding and treating the disease at an early stage may result in a better chance of recovery.
There is no standard or routine screening test for bladder cancer.
Screening for bladder cancer is under study and there are screening clinical trials taking place in many parts of the country. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Two tests may be used to screen for bladder cancer in patients who have had bladder cancer in the past:
Cystoscopy
Cystoscopy is a procedure to look inside the bladder and urethra to check for abnormal areas. A cystoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the urethra into the bladder. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.
Urine cytology
Urine cytology is the examination of urine under a microscope to check for abnormal cells.
Hematuria tests may also be used to screen for bladder cancer.
Hematuria (red blood cells in the urine) may be caused by cancer or by other conditions. A hematuria test is used to check for blood in a sample of urine by viewing it under a microscope or using a special test strip. The test may be repeated over time.
Back to Top Risks of Screening for Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers
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Screening tests have risks.
Decisions about screening tests can be difficult. Not all screening tests are helpful and most have risks. Before having any screening test, you may
want to discuss the test with your doctor. It is important to know the risks of
the test and whether it has been proven to reduce the risk of dying from cancer.
False-positive test results can occur.
Screening test results may appear to be abnormal even though no
cancer is present. A false-positive test result (one that shows there is cancer when there really isn't) can cause anxiety and is usually followed by more tests (such as cystoscopy or other invasive procedures), which also have risks. False-positive results often occur with hematuria testing; blood in the urine is usually caused by conditions other than cancer.
False-negative test results can occur.
Screening test results may appear to be normal even though bladder cancer is
present. A person who receives a false-negative test result (one that
shows there is no cancer when there really is) may delay seeking medical care even if there are symptoms.
Your doctor can advise you about your risk for bladder cancer and your need for screening tests.
Back to Top Get More Information From NCI
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
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Search the NCI Web site
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There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
Back to Top Changes to This Summary (09/07/2007)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Editorial changes were made to this summary.
Back to Top Questions or Comments About This Summary
If you have questions or comments about this summary, please send them to Cancer.gov through the Web site’s Contact Form. We can respond only to email messages written in English.
Back to Top About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether a method of finding cancer earlier can help people to live longer. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients and those who are at risk for cancer. During screening clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new screening method and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new method is better than one currently being used, the new method may become "standard." People who are at high risk for a certain type of cancer may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
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