From Benjamin T. Herms, MD, OHC medical oncologist and hematologist who specializes in lung and genitourinary cancer
October 19, 2018
This year in the United States, 81,190 men and women will be diagnosed with bladder cancer and 17,240 will die from the disease. This number could be reduced if people can recognize the signs of possible bladder cancer and contact their doctors immediately. The early warning signs include:
- Blood in the urine (slightly rusty to bright red in color)
- Frequent urination, or feeling the need to urinate without being able to do so
- Pain during urination
- Lower back pain
Most bladder cancers are caught early because an early symptom is blood in the urine. And when it’s caught early, the survival rate is excellent. When it’s caught at a later stage, the outcome isn’t as good.
Depending on the stage or difficulty of the bladder cancer, the most common types of treatment include:
- Surgical treatments, which allow doctors to either remove or burn away the cancer with high-energy electricity, partially remove the bladder, remove the bladder and any nearby lymph nodes, or create a new way for the body to store and pass urine
- Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy X-rays and other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and keep them from growing
- Chemotherapy, which uses drugs to strop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing them or stopping them from dividing
Fortunately, last year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved four immunotherapy drugs for bladder cancer. All four of the drugs allow a person’s own immune cells to attack tumors.
At OHC, we have one study that’s looking at a drug that inhibits the growth of tumor cells in the bladder. We hope to soon be opening more clinical trials that would expand the use of immunotherapy in bladder cancer. Also, we’re working with The Urology Group on another clinical trial drug for use in earlier stages.
In the United Kingdom, an international team of scientists has been trialing a drug produced by the company Roche, on 68 people with advanced bladder cancer. All the patients had tried chemotherapy and had been given six-to-eight months to live. More than half the patients, whose tumors were using PD-L1 to hide from the immune system, showed signs of recovery. In two patients, there were no signs of cancer after the treatment. One in ten patients responded to the experimental therapy even if PD-L1 was not present in the tumor.
For now, the most important step people can take is to know their body, not just for bladder cancer but for all conditions.
People should be aware of when something doesn’t feel right or look right or seem right. Then call you doctor immediately. Early intervention is the best medicine.
For more information about bladder cancer, call OHC at 1-888-649-4800.
