Bladder Cancer, What Now!

My sister just had her bladder removed last week due to bladder cancer. For 10 years she has had a cystoscopy starting at every 6 months to in the end having them every three months. She has gone through 2 sets of Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatments which did not make much difference. Luckily the cancer stayed a stage 1 for most of that time and only in the past year has become aggressive in its growth. It has gone from what the doctor described as broccoli to looking like a full forest.

I will be covering some of the information I have found out about this cancer from different web sites and also some of the trials and triumphs that have occurred.

This is the basic definition of BLADDER CANCER as defined by the MayoClinic.com site.

Bladder cancer is a type of cancer that begins in your bladder — a balloon-shaped organ in your pelvic area that stores urine. Bladder cancer begins most often in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. Bladder cancer typically affects older adults, though it can occur at any age.
The great majority of bladder cancers are diagnosed at an early stage — when bladder cancer is highly treatable. However, even early-stage bladder cancer is likely to recur. For this reason, bladder cancer survivors often undergo follow-up tests to look for bladder cancer recurrence for years after treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with bladder cancer please ask your doctor questions. He or she should be your first line of action. But never be afraid to look to others for more information. The internet has a wealth of information and support groups across the country can help answer questions also.

Good Health to us all!
Leigh


This information in not medical advise and is information only. Please discuss any questions with your doctor.

Eat Veggies, Fight Cancer?

A nine-year study shows that smokers who ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables lowered their risk of developing lung cancer compared with those eating a smaller range of these foods.

The quantity did not seem to matter, leading scientist to speculate that variety, not volume, may increase your exposure to diverse and potentially powerful anticancer compounds, which still have not been identified.

This article by Alice Park, for Time Magazine, September 13th should tell everyone that fruits and vegetables are essential to your health and well being. If it can be found to lower the chances of someone that is a smoker from getting lung cancer, maybe it works with other cancers.

You can have a say in what you put in your body and how it helps your body work. Omega-3s and vitamin D have already been found to help fight breast cancer and you can get these from fruits, vegetables and are easy to add to your diet. Selenium has been found to fight bladder cancer and one of the best sources is Brazil nut.

To your health.

Leigh

Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer

Boosting Selenium Intake May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk, Particularly in Women

Aug. 31, 2010 -- Adding more selenium to your diet may reduce your risk of bladder cancer.

Scientists reporting in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention say that adults with low blood levels of the mineral selenium are more likely to develop bladder cancer. The lower your levels of selenium, the higher your risk.

Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil. Dietary sources of selenium include plant foods and meats from animals that grazed on grain or plants grown in selenium-rich soil. The nutrient is also found in certain nuts. For example, brazil nuts often contain an abundance of selenium.The body uses selenium to make selenoproteins. Many selenoproteins function as antioxidants, which prevent cellular damage. Some studies have suggested that selenium can help protect against certain cancers, but clinical trials on selenium supplementation have yielded conflicting results.

For the current study, Nuria Malats, MD, PhD, leader of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center, and colleagues combined information from seven previously published studies to conduct their research. They reviewed selenium levels taken from blood samples and toenail clippings and determined each patient's risk of developing bladder cancer. The analysis included patients mostly from the United States and some patients from Europe.

The study showed:

1. A 39% decrease in bladder cancer risk was associated with the highest levels ofselenium.

2. The protective benefit of selenium was seen mostly in women. Researchers believethis may be because of differences in how men and women's bodies break down andremove the mineral.

“Although our results suggest a beneficial effect of high selenium intake for bladder cancer risk, more studies are needed to confirm these findings before an enforcement of high selenium intake is recommended,” Malats says in a news release.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for selenium for adults is 55 micrograms per day. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may require higher amounts. Most American diets provide the recommended amount of the mineral, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Before adding more selenium to your diet, talk to your doctor. Too much selenium can be unhealthy and may lead to a condition called selenosis. Symptoms include stomach upset, hair loss, garlic breath odor, white spots on the nails, irritability, fatigue, and mild nerve damage.

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences says the highest amount of selenium that adults can take safely without endangering their health is 400 micrograms a day. This is called the tolerable upper intake level (UL).

By Kelli Miller Stacy Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
WebMD Health News

As I know someone who is now dealing with bladder cancer I was very interested in this news and hope it will help many in the future.

To your health

Leigh