There were nearly 345,000 new cases of bladder cancer from 1999 to 2004, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. American men had four times as many cases as American women. The number of new cases of this cancer increases with age, with most sufferers being approximately 80-years-old. There are three main types of bladder cancer and two types of benign bladder growth.
Transitional Cell Carcinoma
This is the most common type of bladder growth. More than 90 percent of all bladder cancers are transitional cell carcinoma, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The main risk factors for this type of growth include cigarette smoking and having a history of exposure to industrial chemicals and dyes. Cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately 60 percent of transitional cell carcinomas. Industrial chemicals and dyes account for 15 percent, per “Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment.”
Adenocarcinoma
The term "adenocarcinoma" means a cancer that resembles glands or has gland-like structures. Like some glands, this bladder cancer may secrete mucus. It usually infiltrates the muscle of the bladder as well. It is rare, as less than 2 percent of the people with bladder cancer have the adenocarcinoma type, according to “Smith’s General Urology.” An abnormal change in the development of bladder tissue or inflammation of the bladder can lead to adenocarcinoma.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Five to 10 percent of people with bladder cancer have the type known as squamous cell carcinoma. The risk factors include a long-term use of catheters and a long history of infections. People in the Middle East, Egypt and other areas in Africa risk developing this type of bladder growth from an infection caused by a parasite named Schistosoma haematobium. Sixty percent of all bladder cancers in those areas are squamous cell carcinoma, says “Smith’s General Urology.” This type of malignant growth usually covers a large part of the bladder.
Inverted Papilloma
Inverted papilloma is a benign bladder growth. These growths are individual nodules with structures that look like stalks growing into the wall of the bladder. The structures usually do not go deep, however.
Exophytic Papilloma
The exophytic papilloma is another benign bladder growth. It can develop anywhere in the bladder. Pathologists may have a hard time distinguishing it from cancer, according to “Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease.” Like the inverted papilloma, it has stalk-like structures, but they grow outward rather than inward.
References
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Surveillance for Cancers Associated with Tobacco Use --- United States, 1999—2004
- “Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010”; Stephen McPhee, M.D., Maxine Papadakis, M.D.; 2010
- “Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease”; Ramzi Cotran, M.D., Vinay Kumar, M.D., Stanley Robbins, M.D.; 1994
- “Smith’s General Urology”; Emil Tanagho, M.D., Jack McAninch, M.D.; 2008
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Bladder Cancer
