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The survival rate and life expectancy in men with bladder cancer

The diagnosis of "bladder cancer in men" makes you wonder, what is the survival rate with this disease and lifespan. With such a question patients often ask the doctor-the oncologist, however, remember that the doctor is not psychic, he does not predict the future, but to imagine what the life span will be in cancer, in each case, can.

Always take into account: in each case, the forecast of the disease be purely individual. Life expectancy can vary significantly with all the existing statistical indicators.

Based on what forecast?

There is no dispute that cancer of the bladder – pathology, requiring a special approach. The survival prognosis made on the basis of years of practical research of thousands of patients with similar pathology.

Factors that affect the life expectancy of patients with malignant tumor:

  • Age and stage of the disease.
  • The presence of chronic pathologies.
  • What treatment has been carried out initially.
  • The level of medical care, etc.

For reference. The concept of "survival" in Oncology reflects a quantitative indicator of patients who from the time of diagnosis lived a certain amount of time. The statistics take into account three indicators: I, II and X survival.

There is another, more important factor is the relative survival. It is quite clear that the majority of patients may die due to the presence of bladder cancer, so if you install a survival term (duration) of all the indicators compared to the figures established for people who do not have such a diagnosis.

Risk factors

When determining life expectancy in a particular patient with a diagnosis of "bladder cancer" and account for historical data, the conditions under which he lived and worked a man. It is proved that among men there is the generation of employment, when there is a high risk of developing cancer.

The list of risk factors:

  1. Aromatic amines. Men working with printing presses, gas industry, metallurgical and paint industries have a higher risk of cancer of the bladder.
  2. Tobacco products. Smoking doubles risks and significantly reduces survival rates for bladder cancer in men.
  3. Cystitis, calculi, urinary catheter installed.
  4. The human papilloma virus.
  5. The presence of congenital defects in the bladder.

The average relative 5-year survival rate when cancer is in the range of 77.5%, but fully focus on it is not necessary, because priority should be to consider many related factors, includingtumor grade, presence of CIS and the extent of lymph node involvement.

Table 1. Five-year survival indicators

Stage of the malignant process Performance (%) five-year survival rate
0 (the beginning) 96-97
I 85-87
II 60-64
III 42-45
IV 14-20

According to the figures in the table it becomes clear that the neglect of tumor process at the diagnosis of "bladder cancer in men", the lower the probability to live more than 5 years. Thus women have a worse prognosis life expectancy compared with people of the opposite sex.

Cancer questions and answers

When cancer sounds like a death sentence, men and their families raises many questions to which they want answers. In particular, they are interested in:

  • The Outlook on the disease

When superficial cancer prognosis 5-year survival rate is in the range of 81-82%, but in the presence of metastasis in bladder the surrounding organs the majority of patients dies within 2 years even with chemotherapy. However, if metastases "sprouted" only in the lymph nodes, the prognosis is more optimistic – the duration of life is increased to 5-6 years.

  • Relapses

For superficial cancer recurrences occur often, and the main percentage of them are revealed already in the first 5 years after TUR.

  • The first signs of damage to the bladder

In men the first sign, of suspected cancer, is the visible hematuria, which must be confirmed by the laboratory results. Again we can note frequent painful urination, severe pain in the region of the womb, the abdomen. But very often the cancer starts without symptoms and detected only when a random checkups. In this case, late detection of tumor survival rate decreases.

  • The spread of the disease

When a man is faced with a cancer diagnosis, it seems that he is the only one affected by this terrible disease. However, according to statistics, bladder cancer is found in 6% of all cases of cancer. Year show about 300 new patients, and almost half of them die. The average age is in the range of 50-80 years, and the peak detect pathology accounts for 65-68 years.

  • Preventive examinations

Annual preventive examinations are required for those who are at risk in the presence of at least one factor contributing to tumor development. In addition, diagnostic studies are required for men who suffer permanentinfections of the bladder and inflammation of its walls, and those who have relatives died from the disease.

The danger of cancerous tumors is that very often in the initial stage they did not declare themselves either male ignores the "first bells". In such cases, the patient learns of the diagnosis when the disease is in the stage of "prosperity" and the survival prognosis (life expectancy) is not always optimistic.