Some Important Aspects On Bladder Cancer Research
by Eugenia Dickerson
Bladder cancer research has helped in understanding various aspects of the condition. This has helped in developing more effective treatment modalities over the years. Areas of interest have included, precipitating factors, causative agents and epidemiological characteristics as regards disease burden. Research activities have been carried out in numerous countries all over the world in a bid to establish geographical variations or similarities in disease manifestations.
A number of risk factors have been identified. Tobacco is the main preventable risk factor that has been identified. Close to 34% of cases in women and 38% are attributable to smoking according to a study conducted in the UK as recent as 2010. The study also established that smokers are at a four-fold risk of suffering from the condition compared to non-smokers. The risk appears to be directly proportional to the length of smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Occupational exposure also carries a fair share as a contributing risk factor. The earliest cases to be reported were in 1895 in some European countries for workers in dye industries. The cause and effect relationship between aromatic amines and bladder cancer has now been demonstrated in many other countries all over the world. The amines that carry the greatest risk are benzidine and naphthylamine.
There are several medicines, medical conditions and irradiation procedures that also serve as risk factors other than the aromatic amines. Phenacetin and cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic agent, are some well known carcinogens. Irradiation of the pelvic region during treatment of cervical and testicular cancers in women and men respectively may also be a predisposing factor. The risk is as high as 6 times according to some studies.
Positron emission tomography is a new investigative procedure that has been adopted for varied conditions including bladder cancer. In this procedure some form of radioactive dye is injected into the blood and subsequently absorbed by almost all the organs in the body. Cells that are cancerous in nature tend to absorb more dye than normal cells. A special type of scanner is then used to locate these abnormal cells.
Both the incidence and prevalence is fairly high. Statistics vary between countries and over time. In the UK it represents about 5% of all cancer cases in males and 2% in females. It is the seventh commonest in males and eleventh commonest in females. In 2010 just over 10, 000 new cases were reported of which three quarters affected males. The statistics are not very different from what is seen in the rest of the European continent.
Statistics on mortality are not encouraging. In the United Kingdom about 3000 male patients succumb every year while about 1500 women suffer the same fate. The mortality rate is highest among the advanced age groups. The encouraging thing is that the figure has gone done greatly over the last several decades.
<A href="http://www.seizetheribbon.com">Bladder cancer research</A> has been a very important step towards finding a solution to this problem. It has led to the development of newer treatment techniques and better preventive measures. The important thing is to ensure that unpublished studies are identified and published. Those that are not completed for one reason or another should be brought to completion.
You can visit the website <a href="http://www.seizetheribbon.com">www.seizetheribbon.com</a> for more helpful information about Latest Developments In Bladder Cancer Research
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New Unique Article!
Title: Some Important Aspects On Bladder Cancer Research
Author: Eugenia Dickerson
Email: nathanwebster335@live.com
Keywords: disease, illness, prevention, health,
Word Count: 528
Category: Disease & Illness
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