The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower pelvis. It has flexible, muscular walls that can stretch to hold urine and squeeze to send it out of the body. The bladder's main job is to store urine. Urine is liquid waste made by the 2 kidneys and then carried to the bladder through 2 tubes called ureters. When you urinate, the muscles in the bladder contract, and urine is forced out of the bladder through a tube called the urethra.

Bladder cancer starts when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow out of control. As more cancer cells develop, they can form a tumor and, with time, spread to other parts of the body. (To learn more about how cancers start and spread. There are different types of bladder cancer. The cancer cell type can be transitional cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma each named for the types of cells that line the wall of the bladder where the cancer originates.

The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (haematuria), which usually occurs suddenly and is generally not painful. common symptoms include:
1) blood in the urine
2) problems emptying the bladder
3) a burning feeling when passing urine
4) need to pass urine often
5) pain while urinating
6) Feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night
7) eeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine
8) lower abdominal or back pain on one side of the body
9) Blood or blood clots in the urine

Some factors that can increase your risk of bladder cancer include:
1) smoking tobacco, The most common risk factor is cigarette smoking
2) older age, The chances of being diagnosed with bladder cancer increases with age. More than 70% of people with bladder cancer are older than 65
3) workplace exposure to certain chemicals used in dyeing in the textile, petrochemical and rubber industries
4) use of the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide
5) Race. White people are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed
6) diabetes treatment using the drug pioglitazone
7) Schistosomiasis.
8) family history
9) Lynch syndrome and other genetic syndromes.
10) chronic urinary tract infections.
11) Arsenic exposure

There are three main types of bladder cancer, which are named after the cells they start in:
1) urothelial carcinoma (80–90% of all bladder cancers) – starts in the urothelial cells lining the bladder wall. It is also called transitional cell carcinoma.
2) squamous cell carcinoma (1–2% of all bladder cancers) – starts in thin, flat squamous cells in the bladder lining. It is more likely to be invasive.
3) adenocarcinoma (about 1% of all bladder cancers) – develops from the glandular cells in the bladder. It is likely to be invasive.
There are also rarer types of bladder cancer. These include sarcomas, which start in the muscle, and aggressive forms called small cell carcinoma, plasmacytoid carcinoma and micropapillary carcinoma.

Bladder cancer can be either early stage or invasive stage. The stages range from TA (confined to the internal lining of the bladder) to IV (most invasive). In the earliest stages (TA, T1), the cancer is confined to the lining of the bladder or in the connective tissue just below the lining, but has not invaded into the main muscle wall of the bladder.
- In Stage I, cancer has not invade to the muscle wall of the bladder.
- In Stage II, cancer has spread to the muscle wall of the bladder.
- In Stage III, the cancer has spread to the fatty tissue outside the bladder muscle.
- In Stage IV, the cancer has metastasized from the bladder to the lymph nodes or to other organs or bones.
A more sophisticated and preferred staging system is known as TNM, which stands for tumor, node involvement and metastases. In this system:
- Invasive bladder tumors can range from T2 (spread to the main muscle wall below the lining) all the way to T4 (tumor spreads beyond the bladder to nearby organs or the pelvic side wall).
- Lymph node involvement ranges from N0 (no cancer in lymph nodes) to N3 (cancer in many lymph nodes, or in one or more bulky lymph nodes larger than 5 cm).
- M0 means that there is no metastasis outside of the pelvis. M1 means that it has metastasized outside of the pelvis.

Tests to diagnose bladder cancer may include:
1) Internal examination
Your doctor may do an internal examination by inserting a gloved finger into the vagina or rectum to feel for anything unusual.
2) Blood tests
Blood tests can be taken to check your general health.
4) Urine test
Urine tests (urinalysis) check for blood or bacteria. If there is blood in your urine you may be asked to give more tests over several days (urine cytology) these will be sent to a laboratory to check for cancer cells. 5) CT scan
CT scans produce three-dimensional pictures of several organs at the same including the bladder which can help in the detection of any tumours.
6) MRI Magnetic resonance imaging, which uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to take detailed images, can also be done
7) X-ray. A chest X-ray may also be performed to detect if any cancer has spread to the lungs.
8) Ultrasound
Ultrasound scans produce pictures of the organ, and can show the presence and size of cancer. Small tumours may be difficult to detect by ultrasound.
9) Cystoscopy and biopsy
A cystoscopy is a common procedure used to diagnose bladder cancer by examining the inside of the bladder using a thin tube with a light and camera on the end called a cystoscope. If abnormal tissues are detected, a tissue sample (biopsy) will then be taken.

There are four types of treatment for patients with bladder cancer. These include:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy for superficial cancers
- Radiation therapy

Sometimes, combinations of these treatments will be used:
1) Surgery
Surgery (transurethral resection) is done using a cystoscope which has a wire loop which the doctor uses to remove any tumours. Other ways to kill the cancer cells can include burning the base of the tumour or high-energy laser to damage or kill the cells
2) Immunotherapy
Non-invasive bladder cancers an also be treated with immunotherapy. A vaccine called Bacillus Calmetter-Guerin, developed to prevent tuberculosis, can be used to stimulate your immune system in order to stop or delay bladder cancer.
3) Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy drugs are used to destroy or damage cancer cells. For non-invasive bladder cancers, chemotherapy drugs are instilled into the bladder (intravesical chemotherapy).
4) Palliative care
In some cases of bladder cancer, your medical team may talk to you about palliative care. Palliative care aims to improve your quality of life by alleviating symptoms of cancer without trying to cure the disease. As well as slowing the spread of bladder cancer, palliative treatment can relieve pain and help manage other symptoms. Treatment may include radiotherapy, chemotherapy or other drug therapies.
Invasive bladder cancers are most commonly treated with surgery, although radiation therapy (radiotherapy) is an alternative treatment. In some cases chemotherapy may be added. If surgery is not an option, the cancer may be treated with radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy, or chemotherapy alone (platinum and gemcitabine).

Cancer is a life threatening disease that can affect anyone regardless of race, age, and gender. Traditional cancer treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy often result in undesirable and uncomfortable side effects such as vomiting, numbness, nausea, and diarrhea to name a few. Herbal medicine is a complementary therapy that some people with cancer use to ease cancer symptoms. Herbal remedies for cancer such as those commonly found in traditional medicine contains antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and apoptosis inducing compounds that help in slowing the development of cancer and relieve treatment side effects for patients.

Herbal medicine has a wide variety of applications but all of them rely on the sustainable use of various plant parts such as flowers, leaves, bark, and roots. Each part of a plant features different medicinal properties and uses. Although herbal medicine has countless use cases, cancer care is one of the most practical applications because of how harsh traditional oncology treatments can be on patients.

Herbal remedies are a part of a growing field of medicine called integrative oncology. Research conducted on the use of herbal medicine for cancer complementary therapy has proven herbs can:
• Slows the spread of cancer
• Reduces the side effects of cancer treatment
• Boosts immune system strength and functionality
• Minimizes the symptoms of cancer
• Attacks cancer cells

Several herbs may help control the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. However, doctors do not recommend that cancer patients take herbal medicine while undergoing normal traditional cancer treatment. Herbal medicines may be likely less to cause side effects than traditional drugs. But patients may can still experience complications. Some herbs may can cause negative interactions with chemotherapy drugs. Closely monitor how you feel before and after taking herbal remedies. Patients should always consult with their doctor before trying herbs as a complementary therapy or the supplements to avoid complications.