What are the diagnostic techniques to diagnose the bladder cancer?
Posted by Logintohealth on November 16th, 2018
What is the cancer grade level and how it is determined?
Diagnosis of bladder cancer can be done in many ways. These include the normal imaging techniques and other as well. The cancer grade determines the extent of cancer. Therefore, it is important to determine the grade level to get the proper treatment for bladder cancer.
Bladder cancers are of three types. It occurs mostly in the USA. Cancer can be easily treated in the early stages while in the last stages it can lead to death as well. So, it is important to treat it. But more than treatment, it is first important to diagnose the disease.
Diagnosis
Some of the diagnostic techniques are –
- Cystoscopy – It is a type of procedure in which an oncologist, will insert a small and narrow tube knows as cystoscopy through the urethra. The cystoscope is equipped with a lens that allows the doctor to see inside your urethra and determine whether are you suffering from the bladder cancer.
- Biopsy – Biopsy is a common test to detect any type of cancer. During the procedure, the doctor will insert the cystoscope into the bladder and took out a cell sample for testing. This is known as a biopsy. The procedure is also abbreviated as TURBT. TURBT stands for transurethral resection of bladder tumor. This can be also used to treat the bladder cancer.
- Cytology of the urine – In this technique, the sample of the urine may be tested under the microscope to check for the cancerous cells. This procedure is known as urine cytology.
- Imaging tests - Imaging test like CT, Computer Tomography can help in the detection of bladder cancer. During this procedure, a contrast dye will be injected into the vein and it flows to the kidney, uterus, and bladder. X rays are taken during the procedure to get a detailed view of the urinary tract.
- A retrograde pyelogram is an X-ray that provides the detailed look of the upper urinary tract. In this procedure, the doctor will insert the catheter into the bladder through the urethra to inject the contrast dyes into the bladder. The catheter is a small and thin tube. The dye will flow through the kidney and X rays are captured continuously to detect the cancerous area.
Extent of Cancer: If it is found out that the patient is suffering from cancer, the next step is to determine the extent of cancer. It is important to determine that cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or not. Following tests will further determine the extent of cancer in the bladder –
- CT Scan
- MRI
- Bone Scan
- Chest X rays
The doctor will take the results of the other procedure to assign you the cancer stage. The stages of urinary bladder cancer are depicted in the form of Roman numerals from I to IV. The lower grade indicated that the cancer is confined to the inner lining of the bladder. Higher numeral indicates that it has been spread to the lymph nodes and other distant organs of the body.
Cancer grade level: Bladder cancer can further be categorized on how the cells appear when it is viewed through the microscope. This is known as the cancer grade. This cancer grade can be described as of higher grade or lower grade.
- Lower grade tumor – This type of tumor has the cells which are closely placed but are well differentiated. These cells generally grow slowly. It is rare that they will invade the bladder wall and reach to the other areas.
- High-grade Tumor – These are abnormal cells. A high-grade tumor tends to grow at a faster pace. They are more likely to invade the walls of the bladder and spread to the other parts of the body.
Therefore, bladder cancer can be easily diagnosed with the help of other diagnostic tests. After the confirmation, it is also important to determine the extent.
