Dr. Abdul Idris, an Oncologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, has said that early detection of bladder cancer could be managed to prevent it from leading to other diseases.
Idris told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that difficulty in urinating could be caused by many things like bladder or prostate cancer and liaison.
According to him, the urethra can be infected and may cause difficulty in urinating in both women and men.
He said: “In cancer of the bladder, certain harmful cells invade the bladder and destroy healthy cells, making the bladder not to function properly.
“The bladder is a hollow organ that stores urine as it is filtered from the kidneys.”
The oncologist explained that the flexible bladder wall is made up of three layers, allowing the bladder to expand and contract as needed.
He said that about 90 per cent of bladder cancers were found in the epithelial lining, which is the innermost layer of the wall.
According to him, the actual cause of bladder cancer is unknown, but there are some proven risk factors.
Such risk factors, he added, include smoking, leather and rubber work, painting, as well as textile work.
He explained that smokers were more likely to develop bladder cancer than non-smokers.
Idris said: “Professions such as hairdressing, painters, textile workers and dye, leather and rubber workers could have urine concentration, creating a risk factor for cancer.
“Men have higher risk of developing bladder cancer than women as most cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 40 years.”
He explained that the previous use of certain chemotherapy medications such as cyclophosphamide could also increase the risk of developing bladder cancer.
The medical doctor said that the symptoms of bladder cancer were easily confused with those of urinary tract infection, kidney stones or prostate problems.
The symptoms include blood in the urine or burning sensation while urinating and a feeling of wanting to urinate immediately after passing urine.
Idris said: “Other symptoms are the feeling of not having emptied the bladder completely after urinating and pain in the lower back.
“If one experiences any of the symptoms above, he or she should go for a checkup to diagnose the cause of the symptoms.”
He advised that people with such symptoms should go for immediate treatment because if left untreated, it might cause more complications.
He said any cancer that had spread from the bladder to other areas would be difficult to treat and advised early detection for successful treatment.
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