Coping with Bladder Cancer for Older Adults

Caregiver in Vaughan

Bladder cancer develops when cancerous cells form in the tissues of the bladder. The biggest risk factor is age because this is a disease that is most commonly found in the elderly population. No one knows for sure what causes bladder cancer, but there are a number of other risk factors that can increase your loved one’s chances of developing this disease, such as:

• Tobacco use
• Exposure to carcinogens
• Treatment with arsenic or cyclophosphamide, which is commonly used for treating cancer
• Ethnicity because it is more prevalent in white adults than other races
• Being male
• Family history
• Personal history of bladder cancer

By learning as much as you can on this disease and encouraging the elder to get regular physical exams, they will have an excellent chance of getting treating for this type of cancer.

Symptoms

The senior may not be aware that anything is wrong with their health, so it is up to the caregivers to inform the doctor if any of these symptoms are evident in your loved one.

• Urinating is painful
• Blood is in the urine
• Constantly urinating or feeling as though they need to urinate without being able to

Diagnoses

There are several tests that the doctor may want to run to get an exact diagnosis. These tests include:

• Urine tests: The doctor will inject dye into the blood vessels, which will show up in their urine. The dye will make it easy to detect cancer or other diseases by showing up on an x-ray.
• Physical exam: The doctor may want to feel the elder’s abdomen or pelvis for any tumors. They may also want to conducts vaginal or rectal exam.
• Cystoscopy: a thin tube with a light on the end may be used to look directly into the bladder. Anesthesia may be needed to perform this procedure.

Treatments

As with any medical condition, the sooner a diagnoses is received, the more treatment options that will be available to your loved one. Some of the most common treatments include:

• Surgery: Surgery is an effective way to completely remove the cancerous tumor. However, the success of this procedure depends entirely on the severity and size of the tumor. Once the bladder cancer begins to spread, it will be more difficult to remove it through surgery.
• Radiation therapy: Cancerous cells can be removed through high-energy rays. It only affects the cancer cells, leaving the healthy ones alone without harm. Some may have radiation therapy before surgery in order to shrink the tumor, while others may have it after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.
• Chemotherapy: This method uses drugs to kill the cancerous cells. There are several types of chemotherapy options to. Noise from, so the senior’s doctor will be able to advise them as to which one would be the most beneficial for their form of bladder cancer.

If you or an aging loved one are considering caregiver services in Vaughn, contact the caring professionals at Staff Relief Health Care 24/7 at 905.709.1767.

Source:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4225777/