The bladder is a hollow storage organ that collects urine from the kidneys and stores it until it can be passed out of the body through the urethra during the process of micturition or urination. It has a thin inner lining of cells called urothelial cells and a thick muscular wall, which exerts pressure to push the urine out of the body.

Causes of Bladder Tumors

In most cases, the bladder tumor develops on the inner layer due to a combination of some of the following factors.

1. Hereditary: A strong family history of cancer predisposes a person to cancer.
2. Gender: Men are 3 times more prone for bladder cancer than women.
3. Ethnicity: White people are more prone for bladder cancer black people.
4. Smoking: Smokers develop bladder cancer 2-6 times more frequently than non-smokers. cigarettes contain toxic, carcinogenic substances which reach the kidney and are stored in the bladder, leading to their damage.
5. Occupational hazards: Some workplaces have a higher likelihood of causing bladder cancers, especially dye and rubber industries. The effects can be damaging, and the person may develop cancers years after the exposure has happened.
6. Recurrent bladder infections: In some people, this can also lead to bladder cancer in the long run.

Types of Bladder Tumor

Depending on the extent of the cancerous spread, it can be of two types:

1. Non-muscle-invasive bladder tumors: The tumor spread is limited to the inner part of the bladder (urothelial cells)
2. Muscle-invasive bladder tumor: The tumor has spread to the thick muscular outer layer. This is more advanced and prognosis is poor compared to the noninvasive type.

The most common and diagnostic symptom of bladder cancer is the presence of blood in the urine, known as hematuria. This will be intermittent and happens whenever the tumor bleeding happens. Other symptoms include pain in the lower abdomen and frequent urination.

Diagnosis

From the most noninvasive to the most invasive diagnostic test, these include:

1. Urine microscopy to detect cancer cells in the urine
2. Cystoscopy A tube inserted into the urethra to look into the inner wall of the bladder is highly diagnostic
3. Ultrasound, CT Scan, and biopsy can also be further used to identify severity of the tumor.

Treatment

Once the tumor is diagnosed, treatment would depend on the severity of the tumor. For both invasive and noninvasive tumors, definitive therapy is surgery, known as transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT). The cancerous bladder tissue is removed through a cystoscope as done for diagnosis. The bladder is then flushed with chemotherapy agent to kill any residual cancer cells in the bladder. This is then followed by BCG vaccine, which is again done 1 to 4 weeks for several months to avoid recurrence. In some cases, radiotherapy may also be included.

Bladder Tumor and Its Common Causes

Kidney transplantation is a major surgery. In this surgery, doctors will remove your damaged/malfunctioning kidney and replace it with a healthy kidney from a donor. A successful kidney transplantation surgery will greatly increase your life expectancy if doctors have diagnosed you with chronic kidney disease.

However, some kidney transplantation surgeries have a better outcome than others do. This is mainly due to some factors that can affect the chances of success before and after the surgery. Here is a look at what these factors are.

Pre-surgery:

You may not be able to control what happens before the transplantation surgery, but here are some things that can affect your chances of a healthy life:

1. Age of the donor and the recipient: Younger people have healthier bodies and easily recover from surgery. Therefore, to achieve the best results in kidney transplantation surgery, it is important for the kidney donor to be young. Kidneys from a younger donor are likely to be healthier and function better for a longer time. For instance, if donor A is 60 years old and donor B is 30 years old, the outcome of transplant will be better if you receive the kidney from donor B. Similarly, if you are too old, your body may reject the transplanted kidney. However, your body will easily adjust to the transplant if you are young.

2. Living donors are better: If you receive a kidney from a living donor, the surgery is much more likely to be successful. In most cases of living donors, a friend or family member donates the kidney to the patient. Therefore, if you have a friend or relative willing to donate a kidney to you, you should opt for that instead of waiting for a kidney from a dead donor.

Post-surgery:

When you undergo a kidney transplant, you can develop heart diseases. Here are some things that will help you prevent that-

1. Keep blood pressure low

Some medications for your kidney disease can lead to an increase in blood pressure. Therefore, you should consult the doctor and report the elevated blood pressure, so that he/she can change the medicine. Additional medication may be required to keep your blood pressure under check so that you do not develop cardiac conditions.

2. Keep cholesterol levels in check:

To prevent organ rejection after the transplant surgery, doctors prescribe immunosuppressants. These drugs can increase cholesterol levels in the blood, which leads to blood and heart disorders. Therefore, you need to reduce cholesterol intake through diet. Ask your doctor about exercises that you can do to reduce cholesterol build up in the body.

Lastly, maintaining proper body weight is also essential after kidney transplantation surgery. Taking these measures will keep your overall body healthy while keeping heart disease and other problems at bay.

How To Achieve Best Results In Kidney Transplantation?

An anal fissure is a small tear or crack in the lining of the anus which causes sharp pain, bleeding, itching, or burning.

An anal fissure can affect people of all ages, and it s often seen in infants and young children. Constipation is a common problem in this age group and it is a major cause of this problem.

An anal fissure usually isn t a serious condition. In most cases, the tear heals on its own within four to six weeks. In cases where the fissure persists beyond eight weeks, it s considered chronic, or long term.

Symptoms-

A visible tear in the skin around the anus
A small lump of skin just next to the tear
A sharp pain in the anal area during bowel movements
Streaks of blood on stools or on wiping
Burning or itching around the anus
Causes-

Straining during childbirth
Straining during bowel movements as a result of constipation
Chronic constipation
Diarrhea
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Overly tight anal sphincter muscles
In rare cases, an anal fissure may develop due to:

Anal cancer which occurs due mostly to ano-receptive sex without barrier protection
HIV infection
Tuberculosis
Syphilis
Herpes
Let s take a closer look at these risk factors.

Anal fissures are common in infants and young kids. Older adults also become prone to anal fissures as the blood flow to the anorectal region decreases.
Women also become prone to these fissures due to straining during childbirth.
The inflammation that occurs in the intestinal lining in people with IBD makes the tissue around the anus more prone to tearing, further causing fissures.
People who frequently experience constipation are at an increased risk for fissures. Also, one can suffer from fissures due to straining and passing large, hard stools. In both these cases, one may experience tears in the anal lining.
Frequent diarrhea can also tear the skin around the anus and so can ano-receptive sex without protection. This can lead to sexually transmitted diseases like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS and infection with HPV virus which causes anal cancer.
Treatment-

Treatment usually helps control anal fissures and the discomfort it causes. Your doctor will prescribe stool softeners and topical pain relievers to stem discomfort. However, if these do not make your anal fissure go away then surgery may be required. And in addition to this, your doctor will also need to look for other underlying causes that can cause anal fissures like for example anal cancer.

Diagnosis

An anal fissure can be diagnosed by simple physical exam. The doctor looks at the area around your anus and follows it up with a rectal exam to confirm the diagnosis.
This can mean the use of an anoscope. In this, the doctor inserts an anoscope into your rectum to be able to see the anal tear.
An anoscope is a thin tube and it allows doctors to inspect the anal canal. An anoscope is also used to diagnose other causes of anal or rectal pain such as hemorrhoids or piles.

How Anal Fissures are Diagnosed?

Like most things in life, the uterus also has both good and bad sides to it. It is a symbol of womanhood and also carries the developing baby. The bad side is that it brings with it (and its appendages) many problems including dysfunctional uterine bleeding, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterovaginal prolapse, adenomyosis, a pelvic pain of unknown origin, cancer of the uterine cavity and other obstetric complications.

Hysterectomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures and ensures complete relief from these symptoms. There are however, multiple procedures, which can be used to manage these conditions without having to resort to removal of the uterus. This can help in preventing complications from hysterectomy including prolonged recovery, infertility in women of childbearing age and loss of womanhood.

Read on to know some of the emerging conservative alternatives to hysterectomy:

Myomectomy: Where there are fibroids, which are in the smooth muscles of the uterus and show symptoms like pain and discomfort. In these, it is advisable to go for a myomectomy. This removes only the fibroid, leaving the uterus in place. It can be done in one of the 3 ways traditional surgical process through an incision; laparoscopically through minute incisions; and then through vagina. In all these, only the fibroid is removed and sent for biopsy to confirm it is benign. It is less invasive, requires less recovery time and helps retain the uterus.

Uterine endometrial ablation: In cases of dysfunctional uterine bleeding or menorrhagia with no fibroids, the lining of the uterus could require removal. In these women, thermal balloon ablation, cryoablation, and radiofrequency ablation can be used. A small amount of extreme heat or cold or radio frequency waves are used to remove the uterine lining, thereby managing symptoms.

Uterine artery embolization: In women with fibroids, the feeding arteries could be cauterised to ensure blood supply is stopped so that fibroid growth is stopped. With very promising success rates, this is gaining popularity as a conservative method.

Laparoscopy and endometriosis excision: In endometriosis, where the uterine tissue is growing in areas outside the uterus, it could be removed laparoscopically after identifying the area of growth on ultrasound and laparoscopy.

Vaginal pessary: In women with uterine prolapse, the uterus drops from its normal position, pushing against the vaginal walls. This can be due to vaginal childbirth, age, smoking and obesity. Vaginal pessary is where a removable device is placed into the vagina to prevent it from falling down. It is a temporary solution, but very useful in holding the uterus in place and relieve symptoms partially or completely.

In all these, medical management (painkillers and hormone replacement), stress and weight management, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol are also essential.

Hysterectomy - Know the Emerging Conservative Alternatives to it?

Obesity can make life miserable. From unhealthy eating habits to unhealthy lifestyles and medical conditions, obesity can be an amalgamation of many factors. Obese people are a greater risk of suffering from many serious health complications like type-2 diabetes, mood swings, and depression, cardiac problems, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, to name a few. It does not stop there. More alarming is the fact that obese people are an increased risk of suffering from different types of cancer.

Bariatric surgery comes as a saviour for highly obese people (with a BMI over 40), who have tried every possible treatment under the sun to lose weight without any success. Bariatric surgery has helped many severely obese people attain a healthy weight. Bariatric surgery can be of three types;

Gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y): This is one of the most common types of weight-loss surgery practised worldwide. The procedure involves rearranging (dividing) the stomach into a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower part. The smaller pouch is then connected to the small intestine. The food consumed will pass into the small intestine through the pouch. The idea is to rearrange the stomach in such a way that a person consumes a lesser quantity of food.
Gastric banding (Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band): In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the upper part of the stomach by placing a band (lap band or A-band) around it. The pouch, true to its name, is used to hold the food consumed. The purpose of placing a band around the stomach (upper part) is to reduce the intake of food.
Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve surgery): In Sleeve Gastrectomy, surgeons remove a large portion of the stomach, leaving behind only a small sleeve-like pouch (hence the name). Like the other two surgeries, sleeve gastrectomy also aids in limiting the consumption of food.
Duodenal switch: The fourth type of bariatric surgery, Duodenal switch with biliopancreatic diversion, is not very commonly used. Bariatric surgery has several health benefits. In addition to the weight loss, it plays a pivotal role in lowering the incidences of Type-2 Diabetes, depression, anxiety, coronary artery problems, sleep apnea cardiovascular diseases.
Research also suggest that bariatric surgery has been instrumental in reducing the chances of cancer (especially colon and breast cancer) by as much as 60%. The correlation between weight loss and reduced cancer instances is still a debatable topic. Some researchers and oncologists believe that the weight loss (bariatric surgery) brings about a hormonal modification which prevents the growth of tumour cells. Another study links obesity with an increased inflammation. In many cases, inflammation acts as a catalyst, accelerating the growth of cancer cells. Research is still going on to understand this correlation (obesity and reduced cancer rates) better.

Bariatric surgery has its share of risks and demerits. Consult your physician and get yourself thoroughly examined before opting for the surgery.

Does Bariatric Surgery Reduces The Risk Of Cancer?

The prostate gland in males surrounds the urethra, through which urine and sperm are passed out of the body. Its function is to secrete a fluid, which provides nourishment to the sperm. It is about the shape of a walnut and is present between the pubic bone and the rectum.

As a man crosses 40, the prostate gland begins to increase in size due to an increase in the number of cells. This is known as hyperplasia.  The condition is usually benign and therefore the name benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). As it continues to grow, there is an increased pressure on the urethra. Therefore, there can be problems with urination. The bladder, being a muscular organ, compensates to some extent and so the problems with urination are mostly managed. If left untreated, this can continue to be a major problem and the bladder may not be able to compensate. In men who are 60-plus, BPH is very common.

Signs and symptoms 

One of the initial symptoms of BPH is when the urine stream begins to grow weak.
There could also be a reduced speed of passing urine.
Men with BPH never have a feeling of complete emptying of the bladder.
On the other hand, there is also a constant difficulty in initiating a urine stream. There could be intermittent breaks in the urine stream.
The person may feel the need to strain to initiate the stream and to ensure complete emptying.
There could be dribbling of urine after passing urine.
The duration between two bathroom visits can constantly reduce, with the constant urge to urinate.
There is a constant urge to visit the bathroom, which is more common in the night. One of the most annoying features of BPH is the walking up at night to urinate, but with an inability to initiate a stream and an inability to completely empty the bladder, it leaves the person very irritated and frustrated.
There could be blood in the urine. In fact, blood in the urine accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting are indications of an emergency.
There could be blockage of urine completely, if the enlargement is quite severe.
Diagnosis
If you are having any of these symptoms, then the doctor will first test for an enlarged prostate through a digital rectal exam. Then a test is done to check a chemical called prostate specific antigen.  Increased levels of this chemical is almost always indicative of BPH. In addition, X-rays and scanning may be used to confirm diagnosis. 

Treatment
Though medications are available, confirmatory treatment is through surgical removal. The procedure needs a inimum of 2 to 3 days.

Enlarged Prostate - 10 Warning Signs To Watch Out For

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