The Facts
In cancer of the bladder, certain harmful cells invade the bladder and destroy
healthy cells, and the bladder can't function properly. The bladder is a
hollow organ that stores urine as it is filtered from the kidneys. The flexible
bladder wall is made up of three layers. It allow the bladder to expand and
contract as needed. 90% of bladder cancers are found in the epithelial lining,
the innermost layer of the wall.
Bladder cancer is diagnosed in about 67,000 Americans a year. It is diagnosed
two to three times more often in men than in women, and is seen in Caucasians
twice as often as in those of African descent. It's the fourth most common cancer
among American men, the ninth most common in women. Because of early diagnosis and better treatments, the mortality rates for this disease have been falling significantly over the last twenty-five years.