What is the primary symptom of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder?
Unexplained weight loss. Blood in urine. New, persistent back pain. Frequent or painful urination.
Does transitional cells in urine mean cancer?
High-grade TCC is the type of bladder cancer that is more likely to be life-threatening. Because transitional cells line many different parts of your urinary tract system, you can sometimes develop tumors in more than one place.
How common is TCC?
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 55,000 men and 17,000 women get bladder cancer in the U.S. every year. Of these, nearly 16,000—over one in four—will die as a result of a malignancy. The most common type of bladder cancer is called transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).
What causes TCC?
The exact cause of upper urinary tract TCC is not known; however, several risk factors have been identified. Workers in the chemical, petrochemical, aniline dye, and plastics industries, as well as those exposed to coal, coke, tar, and asphalt, are at increased risk for renal pelvis and ureteral tumors.
Do bladder cancer symptoms come on suddenly?
This is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. It can happen suddenly and may come and go. Your pee (urine) may look pink, red or sometimes brown. You may see streaks or clots of blood in it.
How is transitional cell carcinoma treated?
Current treatments for transitional cell carcinoma include:
- Endoscopic resection, fulguration, or laser surgery. Through a ureteroscope, physicians can destroy or remove cancer cells with direct tumor removal, electrical current, or laser.
- Segmental resection.
- Nephroureterectomy.
What is a bladder TCC?
Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), also called urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the bladder, is the most common primary neoplasm of the urinary bladder, and bladder TCC is the most common tumour of the entire urinary system.
How to diagnose transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder?
Diagnosis and local tumor staging are, usually, achieved with cystoscopy and full-thickness biopsy 4. As is the case elsewhere along the urinary tract, transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder fall into two broad groups 4:
How is the growth of TCC in the bladder detected?
TCC is suspected when a mass within the bladder is detected by an imaging study such as abdominal ultrasound. Growth of TCC within the urethra is best detected via endoscopy (a fiberoptic telescope device that allows visualization within the urinary tract).
Is it possible to remove TCC from bladder?
Unfortunately, even for a highly gifted surgeon, this outcome usually isn’t possible. This is because TCC has a predilection for growing within the trigone region (neck of the bladder) where aggressive surgery would disrupt the delicate urethral and ureteral plumbing located there.
What are the symptoms of urinary bladder cancer?
A tumor located at the vesicoureteric junction may result in ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis, which may present with flank pain. Additionally, a tumor near the urethral orifice may result in bladder outlet obstruction and urinary retention. Occasionally patients only present once systemic symptoms of metastatic disease are present.