Bladder cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the cells that line the bladder. When cells in the bladder begin to grow abnormally, there is an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. The cells grow and multiply quickly and uncontrollably and invade other tissues. If left untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body. Learning about its common causes and management options can help one get timely treatment.

Causes of bladder cancer

• Smoking and use of tobacco
• A high-fat diet
• Low fluid consumption
• A family history of bladder cancer
• Working around harmful chemicals

How to treat bladder cancer
Treatment of bladder cancer depends on many factors like the grade and stage of cancer along with your overall health, the level of fitness and treatment preferences.

• Surgery: Surgery is a part of treating almost every bladder cancer patient. It is done to remove the cancerous tissues. On the basis of the stage and grade of the disease, there are different types of surgeries: transurethral bladder tumor resection, cystectomy, and urinary diversion are few among them.
• Chemotherapy: In chemotherapy, prescription medications are used to destroy cancer cells. This process stops the ability of cancer cells to grow and multiply. This therapy can be done in two ways and is given on the basis of the stage of bladder cancer. Intravesical chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy are two such types of chemotherapy used in treating bladder cancer.
• Radiation therapy: This therapy destroys cancer cells with the help of X-rays. External beam radiation therapy is the preferred therapy used by doctors for this treatment of bladder cancer.

Radiation therapy is not the primary treatment of bladder cancer, but it is given with a combination of chemotherapy. The reason why doctors use this therapy as a combination is to relieve symptoms of tumor such as pain, bleeding or any blockage and to destroy any cancer cells that may remain after a transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) procedure.