Bathroom Breaks Are Becoming A Little Too Frequent - What Could be the Reason?

A bathroom break is an intrinsic part of our day. Going to the bathroom to answer Nature’s Call is second nature to all of us. It gives us time to clear our bladder, think about something and quickly brainstorm before getting back to our desks at work.

But sometimes, what happens is that these bathroom breaks become a little too frequent. Without meaning to, you find yourself visiting the bathroom more often than not. While it is a popular sign of diabetes, it is not always diabetes.

It could be bladder cancer as well. In India, bladder cancer is quite rare, with an incidence rate of 0.68 per 100,000 people. That doesn’t make it any less dangerous.

Bladder Cancer Symptoms

There are different bladder cancer early signs. They are:-

Blood visible in your pee (hematuria)

Healthcare professionals can see tiny microscopic amounts of blood in your pee when they carry out a urinalysis. While hematuria might be caused by conditions other than cancer, like urinary tract infections or kidney stones, it is an important warning sign that cannot be ignored.

Pain when you pee (dysuria)

Keep your senses peeled for pain when you pee. This pain might be sharp or burning and can happen at the end of urination. If dysuria persists, go to a doctor for evaluation.

Frequent Urination Causes

As the tumour enlarges, it irritates the bladder lining, resulting in a constant urge to urinate. This is more noticeable at night, and it’s called nocturia. Frequent urination might be because of infections, benign prostate enlargement or other bladder conditions.

However, when it happens with hematuria or dysuria, it could be a warning sign you should not ignore. Urinary frequency and bladder cancer are closely related.

Having issues peeing

When you urinate, the flow might start and stop or may not be as strong as before. A weak urine stream or a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder might be a sign.

If this happens with other symptoms like hematuria, pelvic pain or frequent urination, it might be a sign of bladder cancer. This is one of the earliest signs of bladder issues.

Constant bladder infections

Bladder infections and bladder cancer symptoms share the same symptoms. However, if something goes out of hand, you must contact your healthcare provider. For instance, some bladder infections don’t go away even after you load up on antibiotics. This could be a cause for concern, so visit your healthcare provider.

Tobacco

Smoking remains one of the leading causes of bladder cancer. Chemicals from tobacco smoke enter the bloodstream, travel to the bladder and ruin its lining, thus causing cancer.

Smoking and bladder cancer are very closely related, which is why the doctor will usually ask you a few questions regarding your tobacco use before concluding.

Age

Bladder cancer occurs mainly in older adults, usually affecting people aged more than 55 years, with the average age of diagnosis being 70. Having said this, younger people are also at risk of getting bladder cancer. It is just not older people falling prey to this disease.

Gender

Men are more likely to develop bladder cancer than women, with the risk being approximately close to four times higher in men. Because the risk in men of developing bladder cancer is greater, extra precautions should be taken to make sure it doesn’t happen.

Occupational Exposure

Certain roles expose workers to chemicals that increase the risk of contracting bladder cancer, especially those working in the textile, leather, dye, rubber and paint industries. Such chemicals can include aromatic amines and other carcinogens.

If you are being exposed to chemicals that cause bladder cancer, you should speak to your healthcare provider as soon as possible to bring down the risk of contracting this dangerous disease.

Chronic Bladder Infections or Inflammation

Conditions like chronic cystitis or bladder infections, often happening because of long-term catheter use or parasitic infections, can increase the risk of contracting bladder cancer.

Such conditions cause a lot of discomforts whenever they happen, and bladder cancer is just the icing on the cake.

Previous Cancer Treatment

Treatment using chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy to the pelvic area for other cancers can bring up the risk of developing bladder cancer later in life.

If you have been treated for cancer earlier, it could be any type of cancer, and your risk of getting bladder cancer increases dramatically.

Genetic Factors

If your family has a history of bladder cancer, your risk of developing it increases manifold, which means genetic mutations might play a role. Having said that, most bladder cancers are not inherited. If someone in your family has had bladder cancer, it is not necessary that you, too, will, contract this dangerous disease.

Chemicals and Environmental Exposures

Long-term exposure to industrial chemicals like arsenic, benzene and other toxic chemicals can contribute to the development of bladder cancer. Chemicals can cause other side effects if you breathe them.

Having said that, bladder cancer is the worst thing that can happen to you if you inhale such chemicals by mistake or on purpose.

There are three types of bladder cancer, each named for the cells that are found lining the bladder wall where this cancer originated. Just as there are different kinds of skin cancer, there are different kinds of bladder cancer. The different types are -

Transitional Cell Carcinoma

Beginning in transitional cells in the inner lining of the bladder wall. Around 90% of bladder cancers are of this variety. Abnormal cells find their way from the inner lining to other layers deep in the bladder or via the bladder wall into the fatty tissue that can be found around the bladder. Another name for this variety - urothelial bladder cancer.

Squamous cell Carcinoma

Squamous cells refer to thin, flat cells that are found on the inside of the bladder. Accounting for around 5% of bladder cancer, this can be found in people suffering from extended bouts of bladder inflammation.

Adenocarcinoma

These cancers are found in the glands lining organs like the bladder. Quite rare, it accounts for just one to two per cent of all bladder cancers.

The Above Are the Main Types of Bladder Cancer. Other Types of Bladder Cancer Include -

Urachal cancer

This cancer develops along the urachus, or the ligament that connects our bladder to our belly button.

Small cell carcinoma

This cancer develops in the neuroendocrine cells, whose job is to release hormones into our blood.

If you have bladder cancer, doctors might ask you to undertake certain tests so they can be sure that cancer you are suffering from is indeed bladder cancer. A test is important to determine whether cancer has affected other parts of your body.

Just like another cancer, pancreatic cancer, which needs a test to confirm its presence, you need to carry out a test to confirm the presence of bladder cancer.

Urinalysis

Doctors carry out a battery of tests to analyse your urine. Sometimes, they might carry out a urinalysis to rule out infection.

Cytology

Diagnostic centres look at cells under a microscope, looking for signs of cancer. Cancer cells are visible under a microscope, so doctors look at cells under a microscope to ascertain your risk of developing bladder cancer.

Cystoscopy

This is the most important test to find and diagnose bladder cancer. In this test, doctors implement a pencil-sized lighted tube named a cystoscope to see inside your bladder and urethra. A doctor might take tissue samples while carrying out cystoscopies.

If urinalysis, cytology, and cystoscopy results denote bladder cancer, you can carry out further tests to learn about this cancer, including.

Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumour (TURBT)

Healthcare providers carry out this procedure to remove bladder tumours for further testing. TURBT procedures might be a treatment, getting rid of bladder tumours before the tumours themselves invade the muscle wall of the bladder. This is an outpatient procedure done under spinal or general anaesthesia.

Chest X-ray

This test tells whether this cancer has spread to the lungs. Once it has spread to the lungs, it is a warning sign that very little can be done now.

Healthcare providers implement what they learn about this cancer to stage the disease. Staging cancer helps plan treatment and come up with a prognosis or expected outcome.

Treating bladder cancer depends on a number of factors, including the cancer type, grade and stage of cancer, all of which are taken into account together with your overall health and treatment preferences.

Surgery - TURBT

When it comes to surgery for bladder cancer, Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumour (TURBT) is a procedure that is implemented to diagnose bladder cancer and to get rid of cancers confined to the bladder’s inner layers - that aren’t yet muscle-invasive cancers. The current in the wire is used to cut or burn away cancer. A high-energy laser might be used. Doctors do this procedure through the urethra, so there aren’t any incisions in the abdomen.

Cystectomy

In men, a radial cystectomy usually involves removing the prostate and seminal vesicles. In women, radial cystectomy might involve removing the uterus, ovaries and one section of the vagina.

Neobladder Reconstruction

After a radial cystectomy, the surgeon must create a fresh passage for urine. One option is neobladder reconstruction, as suggested by the surgeon.

Chemotherapy

In this treatment, a number of drugs are used to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be administered through a vein before bladder removal surgery to increase curing chances. It might be used to kill cancer cells remaining after surgery. Sometimes, chemotherapy might be used with radiation therapy.

Radiation Therapy

For bladder cancer, radiation therapy is used for treating inoperable tumours as a surgery alternative or post-surgery to bring down recurrence risk. External beam radiation is the most prevalent type, sending high-energy beams to the tumour site.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy might be combined to form chemoradiation for muscle-invasive cancers.

Immunotherapy

This drug treatment helps the immune system fight cancer. It can be administered directly into the bladder (intravesical therapy), which might be recommended after TURBT for small bladder cancers.

Targeted therapy

These drugs concentrate on particular weaknesses present in cancer cells. By targeting these weaknesses, these treatments can kill cancer cells. However, before treatment commences, doctors might carry out a test to see if this treatment will be effective.

This is an option for the treatment of bladder cancer when other treatments have failed.

Bladder preservation

This is known as trimodality therapy, combining TURBT, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. First, a TURBT procedure is done to remove as much cancer as possible from the bladder while preserving its function.

After TURBT, comes a regimen of chemotherapy with radiation therapy. If trimodality therapy doesn’t work and not all of cancer has gone, radial cystectomy is the way forward.

Preventing bladder cancer is a task. What do you do, and how?

Quit Smoking

Smoking is the number one risk factor. As time goes on, such chemicals like the ones found in cigarette smoke damage the bladder lining, bringing up the risk of cancer. Smokers are three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than non-smokers. If you quit, irrespective of age, the risk comes down significantly.

The longer you are smoke-free, the lower the risk becomes. There are support groups, nicotine replacement therapies and medications that can help you quit cigarettes. Do avoid secondhand smoke as well to prevent bladder cancer.

Stay Hydrated

Drink enough water to dilute your urine, bringing down the concentration of harmful chemicals that can affect the lining of the bladder, thus bringing down the risk of bladder cancer.

A well-hydrated bladder removes toxins, including carcinogens prevalent in tobacco smoke and certain chemicals in food and the environment. Try drinking six to eight cups of water daily and herbal teas.

Don’t Be Exposed to Industrial Chemicals

Certain occupational chemicals are related to an increased risk of bladder cancer, like aromatic amines, benzidine and others prevalent in industries like rubber manufacturing, textiles and painting.

If you work in a high-risk job, minimise exposure by wearing protective gear and following safety protocols for handling chemicals. Do undergo regular check-ups and monitor for early signs of bladder cancer.

Keep a Steady Weight

Extra body fat around the abdomen can result in hormonal imbalances that can encourage the growth of cancer cells. It also increases the likelihood of diabetes as well as other metabolic conditions that elevate cancer risks.

Keep a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular physical activity to bring down the risk of bladder cancer.

Eat Your Greens

A diet rich in greens contains essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals that protect cells from damage. Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are great for bladder health.

Don’t Eat Red Meat

Diets that are high in processed and red meats can expose you to the risk of cancers like bladder cancer. Such meats contain carcinogens like nitrates and nitrites used in the curing processes, which might result in the development of cancer.

Cooking meat at high temperatures can create harmful substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. To reduce cancer risk, don’t eat red meat. Try fish, poultry, legumes and plant-based proteins.

Stay active

Regular physical activity can bring down the risk of bladder cancer by maintaining a good weight, boosting circulation and bringing down the risk of conditions like diabetes, which can significantly increase cancer risk.

Exercise provides better immune function and reduces inflammation in the body, reducing the risk of cancer. Walk, jog, run, swim or cycle for cardiovascular health.

Don’t Drink Too Much

Alcohol has been linked to a number of cancers, like bladder cancers. Alcohol gets metabolised into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance that can induce DNA damage in cells. If you want to stay safe from bladder cancer, stay away from alcohol.

Don’t Take Certain Medications

Certain medications like the ones used in chemotherapy, like cyclophosphamide, have been linked to an increased incidence of bladder cancer. Long-term use of such drugs can cause DNA damage to bladder cells, significantly increasing the risk of bladder cancer.

Some drugs, like the ones used to control diabetes and pioglitazone, increase your risk of getting bladder cancer.

The thing with cancer is that none of them are safe, no matter what the numbers say. So you need to be extremely cautious with what you drink, what you eat, and where you work. If you see any symptoms like the ones we have listed, visit the doctor immediately. Drink water, hug your mother and keep following Kofuku for good health.

FAQs

I work in a cement factory. What are my chances of getting bladder cancer?

If you work in a factory where arsenic and benzene are in the surrounding air, you are at risk of contracting bladder cancer. In fact, certain chemicals are bound to cause bladder cancer if you inhale them.

Try wearing a mask or covering your nose so you don’t inhale harmful chemicals and remain cancer-free.

I was treated for stomach cancer ten years ago. Am I at risk of getting bladder cancer?

If you have been treated for any kind of cancer, it doesn’t matter which cancer and it doesn’t matter when you are at risk of developing bladder cancer.

This is because chemotherapy, which is the standard cancer treatment everywhere, has been known to be a risk factor for causing bladder cancer.

I smoke and drink. What are my chances of getting bladder cancer?

If you smoke and drink, you are at high risk of contracting bladder cancer. Tobacco and alcohol contain certain carcinogens that are known to cause major health issues in people who drink and smoke.

Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay away from alcohol and cigarettes if you can.

I don’t smoke or drink. But I eat a lot of red meat. Will I get bladder cancer?

Eating red meat puts you at risk of certain health issues, bladder cancer included. Try replacing red meat with fish, poultry, leafy green vegetables and other healthy foods so that your risk of contracting bladder cancer remains minimal.

My immediate relative died of bladder cancer. Am I at risk?

If your immediate relative died of bladder cancer, you may be at increased risk of contracting bladder cancer. Cancer might not be inherited; however, being in the same gene pool poses various risks, so it is better to get checked for bladder cancer.