Bladder cancer
Overview
What is bladder cancer
Bladder cancer starts with uncontrolled cell growth in the cells that make up the wall of the bladder and can occur in a number of different cell types. The most common type of bladder cancer is Urothelial carcinoma, also known as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Less common types of bladder cancer include Squamous cell carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma, Small cell carcinoma, and Sarcoma. If bladder cancer is diagnosed in early stages it can frequently be treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or targeted drug therapy.
How common is bladder cancer
Of all cancer types, Bladder cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer and affects men much more than women. It is estimated that there are 16,870 new cases of bladder cancer per year in the United States1. Bladder cancer is diagnosed most frequently between the age groups of 65-74 and 75-84. Risk factors for developing Bladder cancer include: smoking cigarettes, age, gender, and chemical exposure.
Questions regarding your bladder cancer therapy
You can reach the Accredo oncology care team, anytime, day or night, seven days a week.
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1. https://seer.cancer.gov/. Accessed 7/10/2017
Symptoms
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer
Bladder cancer may not cause symptoms early on. Symptoms that do occur may be one or more of the following:
- Blood in the urine
- Frequent urination
- Being unable to urinate
- Lower back pain on one side
- Bone pain
How is it diagnosed
There are no routine screening tests recommended for bladder cancer. If bladder cancer is suspected by you or your doctor, testing can be performed by one or more of the following to confirm the diagnosis:
- Urine lab tests (including: urinalysis, urine cytology, urine tumor marker tests)
- Cystoscopy
- Transurethral resection of bladder tumor
- Biopsy
- Imaging tests
Medications
Bladder Cancer
Accredo, a specialty pharmacy for bladder cancer, dispenses specialty and non-specialty bladder cancer medications including (but not limited to):
| Drug | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Imfinzi® (durvalumab) | AstraZeneca |
| Opdivo® (nivolumab) | BMS |
| Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) | Genentech |
| Valstar® (valrubicin) | Genentech |
Accredo also dispenses traditional chemotherapy medications as well as supportive care medications ordered by your prescriber that are not listed above.
Financing Your Care
Financial assistance coordination may be available to help with your medication costs, including manufacturer and community programs. Accredo representatives are available to help find a program that may work for you.
Financial Guidance
Life-saving specialty medication can be expensive. Learn how the Accredo teams help individuals find ways to afford the medication they need to survive in this video.
Find Support
There are many organizations that support research and advocacy for Bladder Cancer. See below for a few of those organizations.
Bladder Cancer Organizations
Cancer Support Organizations
There are many organizations that support research and advocacy for cancer. See below for a few of those organizations.
- American Cancer Society
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Association of Cancer Online Resources
- Cancer Support Community
- Livestrong Foundation
- OncoLink
- National Foundation for Cancer Research
- Prevent Cancer Foundation
- Conquer Cancer Foundation
- Inspire.com
- CancerCare
- Cancer GRACE
- National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network
- Patient Advocate Foundation
Government Organizations
Meet the Team
Accredo’s oncology care team is dedicated to serving you and we understand the complexity of your condition. Our specialty-trained clinicians are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to answer any questions.
Why We Do It
Accredo supports patients with chronic and complex conditions and helps them live their best life. Watch our video to learn why we do what we do for our patients.