What it the bladder

The urinary bladder is a hollow muscular organ that collects and stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. Urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra. The typical human bladder will hold between 300 and 500 mL before the urge to empty occurs, but can hold considerably more.

What is bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer is where a growth of abnormal tissue, known as a tumour, develops in the bladder lining. In some cases, the tumour spreads into the surrounding muscles. Risk factors for bladder cancer include smoking, family history, prior radiation therapy, frequent bladder infections, and exposure to certain chemicals. The most common type is transitional cell carcinoma. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. It may include some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.

Who might experience it?

Bladder cancer, as of 2015, affects about 3.4 million people with 430,000 new cases a year. Age of onset is most often between 65 and 85 years of age. Males are more often affected than females. In 2015 it resulted in 188,000 deaths.

References

Adapted from Wikipedia

For more information, please visit the CRUK website