Dr. Amit Bhat

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 cancer BCG vaccination is once in a week for 6 weeks. Surgical removal of bladder is the best available treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Urologist.

The prostate is a small gland positioned around the urethra and is responsible for creating the fluid to be ejaculated that contains semen. Commonly described as the shape and size of a walnut, the prostate has many important functions within the male reproductive system. Reports of cancer of this organ have become very frequent. Ayurveda has very effective treatments that not only stop the spread of the cancer,, but can actually cause partial or full remission.

Some Ayurvedic treatments for Prostate cancer:

1. Haritaki and Terminalia Chebula: When mixed with honey and ghee, this medication is known to be very effective in treating anemia. However, it is also very effective in fighting tumors and cancer cells and thus is both a supplement to the body as well as fighter of illnesses.
2. Amalaki or Emblica Officinalis: One of the most used and go to remedies within Ayurveda is amalaki which is frequently used to cure digestive problems. It is also an antioxidant and quickly drains out free radicals from within the body. This helps in cancer treatment, immunity boosting and improving metabolism.
3. Vibhitaki or Terminalia Belerica: This is an excellent medication, which is very beneficial in purifying blood and removing toxins from the body. It is very good in increasing red blood cell count, which is very important when the body is fighting any form of cancer. Thus it is effective in the case of prostate cancer as well.
4. Guduchi or Giloy: This medication is very good to fight calcium deficiency and is very effective at fighting infections as well. This is necessary to ensure that the body is protected while it is fighting the cancerous cells.
5. Curcumin or Curcuma Longa: This is one of the wonder drugs being touted around as the next big thing in fighting cancer. Curcumin is the primary chemical in turmeric and is known to be very effective in the prevention of growth and spread of cancer cells.
6. Punarnava or Boerhavia Diffusa: This is a great medication, which helps improve blood flow to and from the kidneys and also helps in increasing the count of red blood cells. All these properties make this particular species of flowering plant an absolute master when it comes to preventing prostate cancer. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda.

No Blood, No needle, No visit to hospital, you can do yourself at home with water. A thin layer of transparent screen like structure hangs in front of the abdominal muscles known as peritoneum. This peritoneum protects the abdominal structures and the muscle. This can also be used for performing dialysis which is carried out when the functioning of kidney gets affected. In peritoneal dialysis a thin and soft catheter is placed in the person’s belly one week before performing the procedure.

The catheter has numerous holes in order to facilitate the transformation of fluids. Dialysis solution is prepared in a bag and the tubing is connected to the catheter placed in the abdomen thereby, the fluids absorb the waste materials from the body. The fluid is allowed to stay in your body for a particular period of time which is commonly referred as dwell time and later the fluid is drained out.

There are two types of peritoneal dialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and automated peritoneal dialysis. This is the simple form of dialysis which anybody can perform after a short training period and this can be done anywhere in clean private place like hotels, home and even in office.

Procedure followed during Peritoneal Dialysis
All you need to perform a peritoneal dialysis is catheter and transfer set, cycler, dialysis solution and safety precautions materials to stay away from getting infections.
Step 1 - Perform a sterile aseptic technique. Wear a glove and surgical mask before connecting the catheters and transfer set. Clamp the tubing and remove the catheter once the dialysis solution enters your abdomen
Step 2 - Allow the solution to remain in your abdomen for a particular period of dwell time
Step 3 - Drain the fluid from the abdominal cavity into the drain bag. You may feel a mild tugging sensation when adequate amount of fluid is drained.
Step 4 - After drain close or clamp the transfer set and later flush a fresh solution directly to drain bag so as to remove the air from the tubing.
Step 5 - Close your drain bag and open your transfer set and refill your belly with fresh solution.

Make sure you perform without giving way for infection and excess fluid and dextrose absorption. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.