Bladder cancer refers to a  cancer, which arises from the epithelial lining or the urothelium of the urinary bladder. In the most common form of bladder cancer, the normal histology of the urothelium is recapitulated. It is called transitional cell carcinoma. Bladder cancer is a serious form of cancer that leads to many deaths too.

Treatment:
There are several modes of treatment for bladder cancer. They are:

1. Bladder cancer surgery: Surgeries are common for treating bladder cancer. 

2. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor or TURBT: This mode is used for determining the presence of bladder cancer and to find out if it has invaded the bladder wall muscle layer. This treatment mode is generally used in the early stages of bladder cancer.

3. Cystectomy: A cystectomy is undertaken when bladder cancer is very invasive and parts of the bladder or the whole of it has to be removed. There are two types of cystectomy.

Partial cystectomy is used when the cancer invades the bladder muscle layer in a small area. It can be removed without the whole bladder being taken out.
A Radical cystectomy is undertaken in case the cancer affects a large area and is present in multiple areas of the bladder. This surgery removes the bladder entirely and all its nearby lymph nodes.
4. Intravesical therapy: In intravesical therapy, a liquid drug is put directly into the bladder via a catheter instead of injecting it or consuming it orally. The cells lining the bladder are affected without causing any harm to other body parts. This therapy is usually used after TURBT in non-invasive cases of bladder cancer to prevent recurrence.

5. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for bladder cancer. Chemotherapy may be used in two ways:

Intravesical chemotherapy, where the chemo drug is put directly into the bladder and is applicable only for early treatment stages.
Systematic chemotherapy, which involves the injection of chemo drugs into the vein or muscle and can also be administered in the form of pills. The drug reaches all parts of the body via the bloodstream and affects all cancer cells.
6. Radiation therapy: This treatment procedure for bladder cancer involves the use of high energy radiation for killing cancer cells. It is used in early phases of treatment and is the primary remedy for people who cannot have a surgery. It is combined with chemotherapy to make the radiation effective. The most common type of radiation therapy for treating bladder cancer is called external-beam radiation therapy where radiation occurs from an outside source.

Bladder cancer is a severe form of cancer. Proper and ideal treatment is required among the several treatment methods available.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Bladder Cancer and How It Can Be Treated

Colon cancer is a medical condition where malignant cancerous growths mainly originate in the colon or the large intestine. Believed to be the sixth most common type of cancer prevalent in India (As per the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre), the colon cancer can metastasize and affect the other healthy body parts and organs.

The symptoms that may be indicative of colon cancer include:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
A person may suffer from anemia (triggered by iron deficiency).
Rapid and unexplained loss of body weight.
There may be rectal bleeding (blood may also appear in the stool). There may also be pain and discomfort during the bowel movement.
A person may experience extreme weakness and fatigue.
Frequent diarrhea or constipation.
A person may complain of abdominal pain and cramps.
There may be a change in the consistency of the stool.
Unfortunately, in most cases, the symptoms associated with colon cancer may not appear in the initial stages, thus complicating the situation.

Prevention and management of Colon Cancer
A little alertness on your part can help to prevent colon cancer.

Regular health checkups and screening: Whether the symptoms appear or not, health check-ups at regular intervals are a must. In addition to preventing colon cancer, regular health check-ups can also help to avert a host of other health complications. The screening tests for colon cancer are necessary for people who have a family history of colon cancer and also those who are above 50 years of age. The various screening tests for colon cancer include:
Colonoscopy (used to examine the inside of the colon for any abnormalities).
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)/Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) (These tests are carried out to detect the presence of blood in the feces).
The screening may also be done using Virtual Colonoscopy or Flexible Sigmoidoscopy.
Forget the unhealthy lifestyle habits: Smoking and drinking (excessive) can be the chief contributors triggering colon cancer. Limiting your alcohol intake and quitting smoking will not only keep you healthy but also keep colon cancer at bay.
Shed the extra pounds: The harmful effects of obesity are known to all. Obesity is considered to be one of the underlying factors that can trigger a colon cancer. A healthy body weight can go a long way in preventing colon cancer and keep you fit and active. Minimum 30 minutes exercise daily is all that you need to stay fit and healthy.
Make healthy changes in the diet: If you want to prevent colon cancer, make your diet as healthy as you can. Enrich it with fruits, vegetables and food items that are rich in fibers, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Dietary fats (red meat or any other processed meats) are a strict no. Choose whole grain products over refined ones.

Colon Cancer - How To Prevent It?

Are your regular exercises and the strict diet proving futile on your quest for a tighter and a flatter tummy? You can consider getting an 'abdominoplasty' or 'tummy tuck' done. This cosmetic surgery helps in flattening your abdomen by taking off the extra skin and fat and tightening up the muscles in the walls of your abdomen.

The procedure
1. The first step involves choosing a surgeon for consultation.
2. There are two types of  tummy tuck  surgery, both carried out under general anesthesia.  Complete abdominoplasty  whereby, your surgeon would dissect your abdomen from one hipbone to the other and then give an outline to your muscle, tissue and skin.  Mini or partial abdominoplasty  are recommended for people whose fat deposits are underneath their naval region.

Complete Abdominoplasty
 Complete Abdominoplasty  involves making a big incision around the lower part of the tummy from one hip to another, making a second cut in order to free the belly of the tissue that surrounds that region, separating the skin from the walls around the abdomen, re-aligning the muscles in the abdomen, removing the supplementary skin and fat and then pulling forth the skin remains and stitching them too.

Partial Abdominoplasty
Partial Abdominoplasty requires making a large cut on the lower belly, separating the skin from your abdominal wall, cutting out the excess fat, removing the additional skin and holding the remaining part of the skin together and finally stitching it in place.

Time taken for the surgery
The surgery may stretch from one to about five hours.

Pre-requisites

You will have to cut down on the consumption of alcohol and especially smoking; smoking leads to more complication and slows down the healing process.
It is recommended to have a well-balanced meal before the surgery.
After-care

You may suffer from swelling and pain in the days after the surgery, for which your doctor would prescribe pain-killers.
Regardless of the type of surgery conducted, the portion that was operated on would be stitched and bandaged. Therefore, it is very important to abide by the surgeon s instructions about how you should take care of the dressing in the days to follow.

Tummy Fat - Can Surgery Be Considered to Reduce it?

Following are some common Gall Bladder and Biliary Disorders. Read on to know in brief about them. 

1. Gall stones: Gall stones also known as cholelitiasis is a condition in which gall bladder contains stones or calculi. Usually, these stones are asymptomatic and do not cause any trouble to the patients. Few patients experience recurrent right upper abdominal pain. This condition is known as biliary colic and if it persists, the patiet is adviced gall bladder removal surgery. Sometimes the patient presents with severe right upper abdominal pain with fever and deranged Liver function tests. This condition is known as acute cholecystitis. The surgery is minimally invasive and is called Laproscopic cholecystectomy. If there are dense adhesions, the surgeon may plan to convert the surgery to open cholecystectomy. The patient is usually discharged by day 3 of surgery.

2. Common bile duct stone or choledocholithiasis: Occasionally stone from the gall bladder slips into the common bile duct (CBD stone).This causes obstruction of the bile duct causing Fever, abdominal pain and Jaundice. This is called Cholangitis and is a medical emergency. The patient requires urgent hospitalisation and decompression of the bile duct by inserting a plastic stent in the CBD with the help of ERCP. Severe untreated cholangitis can be life threatenig.CBD Stones which are detected because of dull aching abdominal pain, deranged liver function tests or by ultrasonography also need removal. The CBD stone is removed by an endoscopic modality called ERCP, which is minimally invasive and needs no surgery.

3. Bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma: Cancer of bile duct usually occurs in the elderly patients who present with gradually progressive jaundice. Because of the obstruction to the flow of bile, produced in the liver, the patient develops jaundice. Gastroenterologists examine the patient and CT scan abdomen with MRCP is required to fully evaluate the stage and extent of the tumour. The treatment is multimodality and requires the expertise of Radiologists, Surgeons, Oncologists and gastroenterologists. The Gastroenterologists can help in decreasing Jaundice by inserting plastic or a metal stent (SEMS self-expanding metal stent ) in the common bile duct. These are very aggressive tumours and very few patients are fit for surgery. Survival is very low for these tumours.

4. Gall bladder cancer: Gall bladder cancers are very aggressive and lethal cancers. The patients present with obstructive Jaundice and Itching all over the body. Definitive treatment is surgery but very patients present in the early stage. Advanced stage cancers are treated with palliative intent by metal stenting (SEMS for cancer of gall bladder) to reduce jaundice.

Learn More About Gall Bladder And Biliary Disorders!

Hernia surgery is performed for the correction of a hernia which refers to the bulging of internal organs or tissues through an abnormal opening. It is easy to detect hernia through any pain or discomfort while lifting heavy objects, cough and strain during urination or bowel movements or during prolonged standing or sitting. It can be found in both men and women. The Hernia can be congenital or can be developed over a period of time. If it doesn t get better over time and also does not go away by itself, then surgery becomes the only option.

Types of Surgery
There are two types of surgery for hernia treatment. One is the conventional open method, which requires an incision in the skin directly over the hernia. The other one is the Laparoscopic hernia repair in which surgery is performed using a small telescope known as a laparoscope. In this type of surgery minimal invasions are made and the hernia is repaired with only small incisions adjacent to the hernia. Most hernia operations are performed on an outpatient basis, which means that you can go home the very same day.

Tips for early recovery

    Wear comfortable clothing with expandable waistbands.
    Keep yourself active by moving around as much as you can as it increases circulation, which further speeds up healing.
    Eat a diet rich in fibre, fresh fruits and vegetables.
    Drink lots of water and other fluids to avoid constipation.
    Do not lift any objects even if it is very light as it can bring back pain.
    Do not to pick up things from the floor as it will be difficult to bend.
    Hold a pillow against your stomach while sneezing or coughing to lessen the pain.
    Use stool softener for a few days before and after surgery to help you with your bowel movements.
    Avoid driving till the time you feel any pain and as long as you are taking narcotic pain medicines.
    Band-Aids which cover the incisions should be changed as and when needed.
    Refrain yourself from intercourse as it can be painful.
    Check with your doctor when to take a shower so as not to hurt your incisions, and make sure to gently dry your incisions and replace the Band-Aids after taking a shower.
    Do not consume any alcoholic drinks for at least 24 hours.

The tips mentioned above will definitely provide help to cope up with post surgery blues. However, in case of fever, excessive sweating, difficulty in urinating, bleeding or any prolonged pain consult your doctor immediately.

Hernia Surgery - 13 Tips to Help You Recover from it

Hernia is a small protrusion or escape of any structure or organ through nearby weak spot or muscle. There are several types of hernia like inguinal hernia (direct and indirect), femoral hernia, umbilical hernia, umbilical hernia, epigastria hernia and incision hernia. This hernia can be removed and relocated to its original position and secured with special type of hernia mesh to prevent the recurrence of hernia.

When hernia surgery is required?
Hernia is not a serious health issue that requires surgery immediately. But surgery is essential only during the following situation-

Size of hernia is more than half an inch.
Hernia causes severe pain and causes much physical discomfort.
Hernia causes disfigurement.
Types:
There are two different methods used for hernia surgery:

Open hernia repair: Open surgical incision is made near the herniated site and the surgical procedure is done and secured with a mesh work. This surgical procedure requires several preparatory measures to be done before surgery. There is also blood loss and recovery period after surgery is also more than other type of surgeries.
Minimally invasive hernia repair: The surgery is done with a laparoscope which has small tiny camera, small synthetic hernia mesh and small tool with it. So the patient can return back to their normal routine earlier as the incision made is smaller.
Before undergoing hernia surgery:

One week before surgery it is much essential to stop taking drugs that are causes the thinning of the blood. Drugs like aspirin should be stopped with the doctor s advice.
Stop herbal supplements and check the fitness of your cardio and diabetes
Gain adequate knowledge about surgery and be prepared for the post surgical care
After hernia surgery:

Avoid heavy weight lifting , exercises, and physical works with excessive strain few weeks after surgery
Cough or laugh loud only with a support to the surgical site till one week after surgery

Hernia Surgery - What You Need To Know About It?

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