Bladder cancer

The bladder is a hollow balloon-like organ that lies in the lower part of the abdomen. It is part of the body´s urinary system and it collects and stores urine that has been produced in the kidneys and transported to the bladder through two thin tubes called ureters. The bladder is very stretchy and can hold about 500 ml urine before it´s so full that signals from the brain tell the bladder to empty it. When we urinate, the urine is passed out from the bladder through a thin tube called urethra. Bladder cancer is more common in men than in women and most cases of bladder cancer seem to be caused by exposure over many years to harmful chemicals. This can be chemicals that people have been exposed to through work without knowing about it but we also know that cigarette smoking definitely increases the risk of developing bladder cancer and about half of all cases are caused by smoking. There are different types of bladder cancer and different treatments and you may want to find out more about it.

To help you find answers to some of your questions, we have linked to Maggie’s CancerLinks where you will be signposted to high quality information about bladder cancer. The information on these websites is not written specifically for young people but it is written using simple language in a way that most people will be able to understand. Don’t worry if there are lots of links to different websites. Have a look on the description of the links and very often you will find the information you are searching for on the first website that you look at. If you just want general information about cancer you could read the ‘About cancer’ section on riprap.

Remember that the information on these sites is general. Within each cancer type, there are different variations, different stages, different treatments and people may also respond differently to the same treatments. Each person is an individual and because of this, generic information may not fit the situation you are thinking of. Often your parents or someone else who knows the details can answer your questions best. Also, please feel free to get in touch with us here at riprap. We can help you sorting through information or discuss things you’ve heard or read or anything at all that’s on your mind.

Don’t forget that there are lots of effective treatments for cancer these days and many cancers can be completely cured. There are also very good treatments to control cancers that cannot be cured and research is going on all the time to find new treatments that can control and cure cancers.

Page updated 13 July 2017