Bladder cancer FAQ – Bladder cancer awareness month 2023

Picture credit: World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition

What is bladder cancer and how is it currently diagnosed? How common is it? What are the usual symptoms? Every May the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition celebrates bladder cancer awareness month. Urinary tract cancers, including bladder cancer, are one of our main research focuses here Aqsens Health, which is why this year we wanted to take part in raising awareness for bladder cancer by finding the answers to some of the most common questions and concerns related to bladder cancer. 

What is bladder cancer and how is it classified?

Bladder cancer is a cancerous tumor that develops in the lining of the bladder. In some cases it can also spread to the muscle surrounding the bladder. Once bladder cancer is diagnosed, it is classified by how far it has spread. There are three distinct categories. 

If the cancerous cells are on the lining of the bladder, the cancer is non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. This is the most common type of bladder cancer and can also be referred to as early bladder cancer. 

If the cancerous cells have spread beyond the bladder lining to the muscle surrounding the bladder, the cancer is referred to as muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Invasive bladder cancer is less common, but it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body. 

Bladder cancer that has spread to other parts of the body is known as advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. 

In addition to this method of classification, there are also other ways of classifying different types of bladder cancer, for example by the location of the cells where the malignant transformation begins. 

How common is bladder cancer?

Worldwide, there are nearly 600,000 new bladder cancer cases every year. Of the 600,000, a little bit over 200,000 result in death. 

In Finland there are approximately 1,400 new bladder cancer cases diagnosed every year. The incidence is higher among people aged over 65, but it can also be diagnosed much earlier. 

Around 70% of bladder cancer cases are non-muscle invasive when they are first discovered, improving the patient’s prognosis significantly. However, in 30% of the bladder cancer cases the cancer is muscle-invasive or advanced, making treatment more expensive and taxing for the patient.  

Bladder cancer is associated with high per patient costs, which are often upwards from 65,000 dollars per patient. The cost of treatment at five years can in some cases rise to 200,000 per patient. These costs accumulate quickly from invasive procedures that need to be performed to assess how far the cancer has spread when it has been first detected. 

What are the most common symptoms of bladder cancer?

A common sign of a developing bladder cancer is blood in the urine. Urine may appear pinkish, brownish or orange in color, and in some cases even red. Sometimes the amount of blood in the urine is so small that it can only be detected in laboratory tests and not at all with the naked eye. It is also important to remember that bladder cancer is not the only possible cause for bloody urine.

Different difficulties in urination or significant changes in urination can also be caused by bladder cancer. These changes may include the need to urinate more often than normally, or discomfort or pain while urinating. However, it is important to also keep in mind that difficulties urinating are most commonly caused by a urinary tract infection or other less serious conditions, such as an enlarged prostate or overactive bladder. 

So it is safe to say that diagnosing bladder cancer can in some cases be quite challenging and cause a lot of uncertainty and worry. Which is one of the reasons this year’s campaign slogan is “Feeling unsure? Get checked.”

How is bladder cancer usually diagnosed?

After a suspicion of bladder cancer has arisen, examination usually begins with a urinary bladder endoscopy (cystoscopy). In addition to the cystoscopy, a urine sample is also collected and examined by a pathologist for possible cancer cells. 

The examination may also include an ultrasound or a CT scan that can be used to rule out the possibility of metastases. Sometimes a biopsy of the abnormal cells in the bladder is also necessary. 

When a doctor reaches a diagnosis, the bladder cancer is then classified and the patient’s care team can start looking into the best possible treatment options. 

Aqsens Health, Turku Prostate Cancer Consortium and Auria Biobank working on a joint bladder cancer project

Bladder cancer often does not get as much attention as other more prevalent cancers. It is an expensive cancer to treat, and difficult to detect at an early stage. These are only a few of the reasons why Aqsens is happy to be able to help change bladder cancer screening and diagnostics for the better. 

Aqsens Health, the Turku Prostate Cancer Consortium and Auria biobank are working to begin a project to develop a rapid and accurate method for the screening of bladder cancer from urine samples. 

“With this upcoming project we aim to find new means to detect and classify bladder cancer using our biosensors,” says says Professor of Urology Peter Boström from the Turku Univesity Hospital. 

The preparations for the project will progress during the spring and summer, and you can expect more news in the coming months. 

Read more about bladder cancer and the bladder cancer awareness month here: https://worldbladdercancer.org/

Resources in Finnish and English, and other useful information regarding bladder cancer here: 

https://www.kaikkisyovasta.fi/tietoa-syovasta/syopataudit/virtsarakon-syopa/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bladder-cancer/

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer/about/what-is-bladder-cancer.html

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer