Advanced Symptoms Of Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is considered advanced when the tumor has grown and penetrated the bladder lining and surrounding layers of tissue and muscle. At this stage, the cancer may have spread to other parts of the body . Symptoms of advanced bladder cancer include the following:
- Urination problems: Inability to urinate
- Pain in the lower back: Another indication the tumor has spread is pain, particularly in the area above your pubic bone or the flank area. Pain in your perineum might also occur if your bladder cancer has reached tissues nearby. Pain may only be on one side.
- Weight loss or loss of appetite: You lose weight without trying, or you’ve lost your appetite and aren’t as hungry as usual.
- Feeling weak or fatigued: You may feel lethargic and extremely tired a lot of the time.
- Bone pain: If your cancer has spread to the bone, it can cause bone pain or a bone fracture.
- Swollen feet: Bladder cancer that has spread to your lymph nodes, for instance, could cause your feet to swell.
If the bladder cancer has spread to another part of your body, you could develop symptoms specific to that particular area. For example:
Once again, these symptoms could be due to something other than bladder cancer, so be sure to have your doctor check them out.
What Does Diabetic Urine Smell Like
One warning sign of diabetes or high blood sugar is urine that smells sweet or fruity. The sweetness comes from sugar in your urine and is a sign your body is trying to get rid of extra sugar in your blood. Some people say their pee smells like Cheerios, which might be a sweet smell that you should tell your doctor about.
Does Cancer Smell Can People Smell Cancer
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer, you probably have a million questions. Your head may be spinning with all the new words you hear and the treatment options you need to decide about. Even with all that going on, youre probably just as worried about how your day to day life might be affected.
Theres a lot of technical and medical issues to ask about, and some of them may seem too small or silly to ask. One question that newly diagnosed cancer patients often wonder about is Does cancer smell?
There are two reasons for asking this question. Patients and family members sometimes wonder if they could have found the cancer sooner by being more vigilant about odors. Patients are also concerned that their illness may make them smell bad or give off an unpleasant odor, offending people around them.
Rest assured that you are not alone in wondering about cancer smell. Your medical team has probably heard this question at least a hundred times or more. And while it may seem like a simple question, the answer is actually not quite so simple.
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Why Does My Urine Smell So Bad
The most common causes of bad smelling urine are dehydration, dietary changes, or a side-effect of medication. Less commonly, strong smelling urine can also be caused by infection, high blood sugar, or liver damage. Read below for more information on associated symptoms, other causes and foods that make your urine smell, and treatment options.
What Does Bladder Cancer Feel Like
And remember, the smell of cancer that dogs can sniff out in urine is NOT detectable by the human nose. chemical. A urinary tract infection, though capable of causing numerous symptoms, will not give urine a foul or chemical odor. For more information on the UTI Tracker, go to utitracker.com. Dr. Rice is with Inova Medical Group in Fairfax, VA, and her clinical interests
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Why Does My Bladder Sting When I Pee
Stinging or even pain while you pee can be caused by a UTI or an STD such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, says Phillips. This is a classic sign of a UTI, which causes the lining of your bladder and urethra to become inflamed and irritated, leaving you with the feeling of constantly having to urinate, says Phillips.
When To See A Doctor
Cloudy pee isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. Some people naturally have more cloudy-looking pee than others, says Cohen.
However, there are certain signs that might indicate you should get medical care, says Olumi. These include:
- Changes to urine appearance that last more than a day or two
- Foul-smelling urine
- Burning or pain when urinating
- Changes to urine appearance accompanied by fever
The appearance of pee is subjective, so it’s important to see a doctor who can run a urinalysis for a diagnosis, Olumi says.
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If You Suddenly Notice A Chemical Or Strong Smell From Your Urine This Can Be Unnerving Especially If You Already Know That Some Cancers Have An Odor That Dogs Can Sniff Out
Excrement always has an unpleasant odor. Sometimes even in the healthiest people, urine really stinks.
But people should become very acquainted with what their urine typically smells like.
Sometimes, the odor cannot be detected as one sits on the toilet and voids, then rises and wipes.
But there are other times, when at the moment the urine hits the toilet, its odor is easily detected. This is particularly true in the morning.
Urine can have different smells from many different reasons, says Dana Rice, MD, a board certified urologist and creator of the UTI Tracker mobile app, which helps patients catalog daily urinary tract symptoms, medication and behavioral patterns, and offers personalized tips for UTI prevention.
Foul smelling urine is not always an infection, continues Dr. Rice. Some foods, like pineapple and asparagus, can cause a sweet or chemical like smell to the urine. Many medications can change the smell of urine as well.
While I cannot think of a cancer with diagnostically distinct urine odor, when patients are ill or immune compromised may notice a different smell to their urine.
If a chemical odor to your urine lasts longer than a few days, make an appointment with a doctor.
In the meantime, take note if youve had a change in eating habits lately or have not been drinking your usual amount of water.
And remember, the smell of cancer that dogs can sniff out in urine is NOT detectable by the human nose. chemical
‘just Cant Wait’ Card
You can get a card if you want to go to the toilet more often, or feel that you cant wait when you do want to go. You can show the card to staff in shops or restaurants etc. It allows you to use their toilets, without them asking awkward questions.
You can get the cards from Disability Rights UK or the Bladder and Bowel Community. They also have a map of all the public toilets in the UK. Disability Rights UK can also give you a key for disabled access toilets so that you don’t have to ask for a key when you are out.
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Devita, Hellman and Rosenberg’s Cancer Principles and Practice of Oncology VT Devita, TS Lawrence and SA RosenbergWolters Kluwer Health, 2019
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Cancer and its Management J Tobias and D HochhauserWiley Blackwell, 2015
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Why Does My Pee Smell
Urine is mostly waste products and water and normally has a mild smell and a light yellow color. If you have more waste than water in your urine, it can smell more strongly.
In most cases, a strong smell isnât a sign of disease. Itâs usually from your diet and medications, or it means you need to drink more water. Certain urine smells can be a sign of some conditions, but your doctor might not consider that to be the case unless you have other symptoms.
If Your Pee Smells Fishy
You might have an infection.
Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease that can affect people of any sex. People assigned male at birth often have no symptoms, but those assigned female can have a fishy-smelling vaginal discharge. While discharge is distinctly different than urine, that may be the scent you’re smelling when in the bathroom.
Along with the odor, discharge may be greenish-yellow, and you may experience vaginal irritation, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
âFix it:â This infection is cured with a single dose of antibiotics.
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What Does It Mean When You Pee Red
Theres a Pink or Reddish Color. Though red-purple hued veggies like beets and blackberries might be the culprit, the color can also indicate the presence of blood in your peenot a good sign. Thats a symptom of a UTI, kidney stones, or in rare cases even bladder or kidney cancer, says Phillips. It Smells Foul.
Bladder Cancer Detected In Urine Odor
According to medical researchers, bladder cancer can be detected in urine odor. The concept of a cancer being found by its smell has been addressed in previous research where canines have been trained to sniff out the disease.
In this case, neither doctors nor patients or even dogs are expected to take a deep whiff in order to diagnose bladder cancer, as scientists have created a urine odor test for future clinical use.
Professor Chris Probert, from Liverpool University, and Professor Norman Ratcliffe, of the University of the West of England have developed a urine odor test.
The device called the Odoreader has a sensor capable of detecting gaseous chemicals which are emitted when cancer cells are present in heated samples, reports BBC.
To test their bladder cancer urine odor device, researchers used 98 samples of urine 24 from men known to have bladder cancer and 74 from men with bladder-related problems but no cancer, reports the New York Daily News.
PLoS One states the urine odor test is accurate nine out of 10 times, based on encouraging early trial results. Still, additional studies including samples provided by female patients and larger scale urinalysis are needed before the device can be made available for general medical use.
The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine located in the pelvis. An estimated 380,000 cases of bladder cancer have been diagnosed globally, and the condition is highly treatable when found early.
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Sandalwood Scent May Tackle Bladder Cancer Tumors
Bladder cancer typically occurs in older people, those who have a family history of cancer, and those who work or have worked with harmful chemicals. A new study discovers that a certain olfactory receptor is often present in malign bladder tumors. This finding may lead to better therapies.
Researchers led by Drs. Hanns Hatt and Lea Weber, from Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany, have made a fascinating find.
They have discovered that there is an olfactory receptor in the human bladder, and it occurs more frequently in cancerous than healthy tissue.
The receptor is also found in greater quantities in the urine of those with bladder cancer.
This, the researchers explain, could make it a viable biomarker when it comes to detecting the presence of this type of cancer.
But the study the findings of which have been published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology has also revealed that this receptor is a promising therapeutic target for bladder cancer, which is diagnosed in around
Why Does My Urine Smell Strong Like Ammonia
Strong, ammonia-like urine is a sign that youâre a little dehydrated. Drinking more water can often help. Sometimes, ammonia is also a sign of:
Urinary tract infection. Also called a UTI, such an infection happens when you have bacteria in any part of your urinary system. It causes strong or sweet urine. Other UTI symptoms include:
- Needing to urinate a lot
Liver disease. A problem with your liver can make your skin and eyes yellow and your urine dark and smelly. It can also cause stomach pain, throwing up, and feeling sick.
Kidney stones. Crystals made of waste products and minerals can build up in your kidneys and form hard stones, which can cause strong-smelling urine. You might also feel sick, have pain that comes and goes, and have bloody urine.
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Is It Normal For Urine To Smell
But when theres something funky going on your urine does not smell normal to you you probably have questions. Before you rely on your pee smell to self-diagnose, though, keep in mind that smells can be up for interpretation. What youd describe as pee that smells sweet, another person might say smells fruity.
Not Being Able To Pass Urine
An individual who reports not being able to pass urine can be a manifestation of bladder cancer. The urinary tract functions to drain urine from the body. The kidneys filter these unneeded fluids and wastes out of the bloodstream. The urine then flows down two small narrow muscular tubes called ureters. From the ureters, urine flows into an individual’s bladder. The bladder expands to accommodate urine.
As the bladder fills up to its fluid capacity, nerves in the region send signals to the brain that it is time to urinate. The individual then controls when and where the sphincters in the bladder and urethra open to allow urine to flow out. The muscles around the bladder and the sphincters work together to hold urine in the bladder until the individual is ready to urinate. Bladder cancer can expand to the point where it causes one or more of the sphincters to be unable to open. A bladder tumor can also compress and pinch the urethra itself, which prevents urine from being excreted. In addition, malignant bladder tumors can grow in and around the bladder outlet, not allowing urine to pass.
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Why Does Urine Smell Different
Dehydration may increase the concentration of your urine. Urine is also often darker. Foul-smelling urine is different than urine that smells stronger. The color may change from yellow to orange or cloudy or red. These changes may signal a urinary tract infection or a sexually transmitted infection , which require medical attention.
How Is Bladder Cancer Diagnosed
Frequently, a doctor will diagnose bladder cancer after an individual tells them about blood in their urine. When there’s enough blood in the urine to see it with the naked eye, it’s called “gross hematuria.” If you have small traces of blood in your urine you can’t see, it’s “microhematuria.” As mentioned previously, only a urine test can detect microscopic hematuria.
Procedures and tests your doctor may use to diagnose your bladder cancer include the following.
1. Cystoscopy
During cystoscopy, your doctor will insert a cystoscope through your urethra. This tool has a lens that allows them to see inside your bladder and urethra to examine their structures for signs of cancer.
2. Urine Cytology
The doctor analyzes a sample of your urine under a microscope, checking for cancer cells.
3. Genomic Urine Test
This is a lab test that measures several biomarker genes in your urine to accurately assess the probability that you have cancer.
4. Biopsy
During a cystoscopy procedure, your doctor might pass a specific tool into your bladder through the scope to biopsy for testing.
5. Imaging Tests
Imaging tests like retrograde pyelogram or computerized tomography allow your doctor to view and examine your urinary tract structures.
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Signs Of Bladder Cancer: What Women Should Know
Bladder cancer may not be on your radar even if youre vigilant about getting routine GYN care. After all, its far more common among men than women, and the majority of cases affect patients over age 65. However, dont let those stats keep you from learning to spot the warning signs.
While bladder cancer isnt one of the most common cancers in women, about 18,000 women are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year in the United States . The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network reports that women are more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer at an advanced stage because they may not be on the lookout for early signs.
Smelling Cancer: Device Detects Bladder Cancer From Odor Of Urine
The smell of urine is not usually associated with having life-saving properties. But a new UK device called the Odoreader can analyze urine odors and determine if bladder cancer is present. Although this is a pilot study, it has positive implications for early bladder cancer diagnosis and improved patient survival.
In the US, an estimated 72,570 new bladder cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2013 with 15,210 succumbing to the disease. Unlike other cancers, bladder cancer has few reliable biomarkers for detection. Doctors currently use cystoscopy to identify bladder cancer. Therefore, bladder cancer is generally detected only at later stages when the patients survival chances are diminished. As with most cancers, earlier detection is of critical importance.
When detected early enough, a transurethral resection procedure yields a 94% five-year survival rate. However, the disease recurs in approximately 50-70% of patients and these require follow-up procedures.
Other diagnostic approaches, including hematuria dipstick, NMP22 and UroVysion, have been assessed and determined not sensitive enough for accurate bladder cancer detection. Canines have reportedly sniffed out bladder cancer in urine samples. While this is not the best approach for examinations in a clinical settingthe general principle is sound.
This new detection approach would potentially facilitate early bladder cancer diagnosis at low cost and reduced inconvenience to the patient.
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Facts About Bladder Cancer In Women
While bladder cancer typically hasnt been associated with women, it is important to understand the unique way that bladder cancer does affect women, and why its critical that bladder cancer isnt overlooked.
- Approximately 50% of cases are diagnosed while the cancer is still in the bladder. However, that percentage is lower in women, because symptoms are often overlooked.
- Women have a 1 in 89 chance of developing bladder cancer in their lifetime . However, bladder cancer in women is on the rise.
- Approximately 90% of bladder cancer cases are in individuals over 55 years old, so it is important to be extra vigilant of early signs of bladder cancer as you age.
- Bladder cancer has a high recurrence rate. If you have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, it is important to continue to receive regular exams in order to handle any potential recurrence.