Bladder cancer research has helped in understanding various aspects of the condition. This has helped in developing more effective treatment modalities over the years. Areas of interest have included, precipitating factors, causative agents and epidemiological characteristics as regards disease burden. Research activities have been carried out in numerous countries all over the world in a bid to establish geographical variations or similarities in disease manifestations.
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 is another huge risk factor for persons that work in dye industries. The earliest case to be reported was way back in 1895 in Europe. It was not until the 1950s that these findings were confirmed. The cause-effect relationship between aromatic amines and cancer has been demonstrated in many other places all over the world. Naphthylamine and benzidine are the most notorious of the amines.
There are several medicines, medical conditions and irradiation procedures that also serve as risk factors other than the aromatic amines. Phenacetin and cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic agent, are some well known carcinogens. Irradiation of the pelvic region during treatment of cervical and testicular cancers in women and men respectively may also be a predisposing factor. The risk is as high as 6 times according to some studies.
Positron emission tomography, PET has emerged as one of the most effective investigative procedures. Typically, a radioactive dye is injected into the body through blood vessels. The dye is absorbed by almost all organs in the body. Tissues that have cancer tend to take more dye than the normal tissues. A special scanner is used to accurately locate these tissues.
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.
The mortality rate is still high in many places. In the UK, statistics indicate that about 3000 men and 1500 women die every year. Majority of these patients are those that fall in the advanced age groups due to the aggressive nature of the disease. Fortunately the general trend has been a gradual decrease in these rates over the last few 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 is another huge risk factor for persons that work in dye industries. The earliest case to be reported was way back in 1895 in Europe. It was not until the 1950s that these findings were confirmed. The cause-effect relationship between aromatic amines and cancer has been demonstrated in many other places all over the world. Naphthylamine and benzidine are the most notorious of the amines.
There are several medicines, medical conditions and irradiation procedures that also serve as risk factors other than the aromatic amines. Phenacetin and cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic agent, are some well known carcinogens. Irradiation of the pelvic region during treatment of cervical and testicular cancers in women and men respectively may also be a predisposing factor. The risk is as high as 6 times according to some studies.
Positron emission tomography, PET has emerged as one of the most effective investigative procedures. Typically, a radioactive dye is injected into the body through blood vessels. The dye is absorbed by almost all organs in the body. Tissues that have cancer tend to take more dye than the normal tissues. A special scanner is used to accurately locate these tissues.
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.
The mortality rate is still high in many places. In the UK, statistics indicate that about 3000 men and 1500 women die every year. Majority of these patients are those that fall in the advanced age groups due to the aggressive nature of the disease. Fortunately the general trend has been a gradual decrease in these rates over the last few 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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