Bladder Tumor Symptoms

Bladder tumors can cause much discomfort almost immediately after they begin to form. To properly diagnose a bladder tumor a doctor will take a blood test, an X-ray or a CT scan, as well as biopsy the bladder tissue to determine if the tumor is cancerous.

Identification

• The bladder is a balloonlike organ that stores and eliminates liquid waste produced by the kidneys. A tumor is a collection of excess cells that the body produces but does not need. These extra cells will gather together into a mass called a tumor. A tumor can either be a collection of cancerous cells that are malignant, or a gathering of noncancerous cells that are benign. In the case of cancerous cells, these cells may have originated in the bladder or they may have infected the bladder from another part of the body. The symptoms surrounding a bladder tumor are normally the same regardless as to whether the tumor is benign or malignant. The long-term effects, however, can be very different.

Effects

• The initial effects of a tumor on or in the bladder can be painful. There may be a difficulty in urinating causing painful urination, there may be a burning sensation when passing urine and there may be pain involved, such as abdominal or back. As the tumor grows the bladder is unable to hold as much urine as it used to, which could also cause frequent and sometimes urgent needs to urinate. The pain involved with a bladder tumor depends on where the tumor is located. If it is located more toward the front of the bladder the tumor will put pressure on the abdominal wall creating pain, and bladder tumors on the back of the bladder will put pressure on nerves and muscles near the spine causing back pain.

Potential

• A cancerous tumor can start to create uncomfortable symptoms. Some of the advanced symptoms of a cancerous tumor include blood mixed in with the urine and a feeling of the bladder being full but no urine coming out, indicating that the tumor has grown to the point where it is blocking the tube that passes urine out of the bladder known as the urethra. Other symptoms include a high fever, a loss of appetite and an aching pain in the pelvic region that does not go away.

Prevention/Solution

• The most common treatment for bladder tumors is surgery. This surgery could just be the simple removal of the tumor, or if the doctor determines that a portion of the bladder has been infected by cancerous cells then that part of the bladder may be removed. In some extreme cases the entire bladder may need to be removed. If the tumor is malignant then follow-up treatments such as chemotherapy medication and radiation treatment may be used to stop the spread of cancerous cells.

Considerations

• Without proper medical analysis, a tumor cannot be accurately diagnosed as malignant or benign. The symptoms of a bladder tumor can start out mild and could easily be ignored. If there is any pain in the abdominal region, and that pain is amplified during urination, then get to a doctor immediately. A malignant tumor is dangerous, but if it is treated early enough it can be contained and the damage minimized.