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Bladder cancer
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The bladder is a balloon-like organ that stores urine and is located behind the pelvic bone in the lower part of the abdomen. Bladder cancer is a disease involving a genetic mutation of cells lining the bladder wall which then lose the ability to regulate their growth and start dividing uncontrollably.
Worldwide there are 335,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed each year, according to the World Health Organization. The US accounts for approximately 60,000 of these.
Bladder cancer is a disease influenced by environmental factors. Smokers and individuals exposed to certain industrial chemicals are more at risk of developing the disease.
The majority of bladder cancer on initial diagnosis presents as superficial bladder cancer. It is treated using transurethral resection techniques. However, there is a very high rate of recurrence post surgery (around 50% after 12 months) making the disease very difficult and expensive to treat.
Bladder cancer is a chronic disease and sufferers must be followed and monitored for life. The combination of long survival times, high levels of disease recurrence and intensive and costly surveillance requirements means that bladder cancer is the most costly cancer to treat on a per patient basis. Bladder cancer is the fifth most costly cancer in terms of total medical care expenditures, accounting for US$3.7 billion p.a. in direct costs in the US.
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