bladder cancer
Meaning of bladder cancer: Bladder cancer usually begins in the cells lining the bladder's interior, most often developing as urothelial carcinoma rather than the other, less common types.
Definition of bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is cancer that forms in the tissue of the bladder, the organ that stores urine before it leaves the body. Most bladder cancers begin in the urothelial cells, also called transitional cells, that normally form the bladder's inner lining, and this type is now generally called urothelial carcinoma.
Less common types of bladder cancer include squamous cell carcinoma, which begins in thin, flat cells, and adenocarcinoma, which begins in cells that produce mucus and other fluids. These less common types often develop after long standing irritation or inflammation of the bladder lining.
Bladder cancer is frequently detected because it produces blood in the urine, sometimes visible and sometimes found only on testing, and evaluation typically involves direct visual examination of the bladder's interior along with tissue sampling to confirm the diagnosis and determine the specific type involved.
Used in a sentence
Cystoscopy was performed after the patient reported blood in the urine, leading to a diagnosis of bladder cancer.
Good to know
Blood in the urine is the most common finding that leads to a bladder cancer diagnosis, though the same finding has many other possible causes, so its presence alone does not confirm cancer.