Bronchitis

Also commonly known as bronchitis, bronchial infection is actually an infection of the mucous membranes that line the inner walls of the bronchi (the pipe-like structures that transport air to the lungs from the trachea). Bronchial infection can be acute as well as chronic. Acute bronchitis symptoms include severe coughing which may or may not be accompanied by increased production of sputum. Acute bronchitis usually accompanies common cold or influenza and experiencing cough and mild congestion is common in case of these viral infection. Chronic bronchial infection is characterized by a chronic case of productive cough which may last for as long as three months each year for a minimum of two years. Let's take a closer look at both types of bronchial infection.

Acute Bronchitis

As mentioned above, acute bronchitis is a short term bronchial infection and usually occurs as an accompaniment of any other upper respiratory viral infections such as cold and flu. The major cause of acute bronchitis is viruses though a mere 10% of the cases may be brought on by bacteria as well. The virus that causes acute bronchial infection infect the epithelium, leading to inflammation of the mucous membrane and increasing the production of mucus. Cough, the most prominent among all acute bronchial infection symptoms, is the body's attempt to expel the additional mucus from the lungs to avoid blockage of the air passage.

Besides cough and excess sputum, other acute bronchitis symptoms include nasal congestion and runny nose, sore throat, malaise, slight fever and a certain degree of inflammation of the pleura that surrounds the lungs. Antibiotics for bronchial infection usually have no effect as most of the time, it is viral bronchitis. In fact, antibiotics can have an adverse effect as administration of antibiotic medication in case of non bacterial bronchitis encourages the growth and propagation of bacteria which are antibiotic resistant.

Chronic Bronchitis

As mentioned above, chronic bronchial infection is a long term ailment of the respiratory tract and is characterized by development of productive cough which occurs for at least three months in tow each year for at least a couple of years. This condition is generally brought on by frequent injuries to the bronchial epithelium. This leads to chronic swelling of the mucous membrane and causes goblet cells to increase their mucin production which leads to increased production of mucus when the mucin dissolves in water. Usually, such injury to the bronchial epithelium is caused by smoking or consuming tobacco.

Chronic bronchitis effects manifest as considerable obstruction of the airway and this leads to the common symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and having difficulty breathing. The sputum produced in chronic bronchitis is thicker with a greenish yellow hue and may have streaks of blood in it.

Bronchial Infection Treatment

The treatment for both types of bronchial infections include symptomatic treatment methods that aim at providing symptomatic relief to the patient. In case of acute bronchitis, expectorants are given to help expel the excess mucus and decongestant medications are administered to relieve nasal and bronchial congestion. Cough suppressants may be given to ease coughing and fever and sore throat may be treated by giving non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. Most of the time, acute bronchitis conditions are of a self-limiting nature and get resolved by themselves even in the absence of medical intervention.

In case of chronic bronchitis, the treatment may include corticosteroid inhalers for bronchitis to arrest inflammation of the epithelium. Bronchodilators are used to arrest bronchospasms in order to provide relief from wheezing and shortness of breath. Due to difficulty in breathing, the blood oxygen may go down considerably and this condition can be corrected by providing external oxygen supplements. Bronchitis natural remedies, such as turmeric, chicken soup, eucalyptus oil, ginger, honey and lemon, can also be considered as additional options for treatment for chronic bronchitis as they provide some much needed relief to the already strained bronchi.

That, I guess, should give you an aerial view of the entire scope - particulars, causes, symptoms and treatment of bronchial infection. However, I would like to extend a word of warning with regards to oxygen supplementation for treating chronic bronchitis - long term oxygen supplementation as a chronic bronchitis treatment measure may reduce respiratory drive, resulting in the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Prevention is always better than cure and the best way to prevent chronic bronchial infection is to avoid tobacco - in whichever form - at all costs!

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury is also called acquired brain injury, or simply put – head injury and occurs when a sudden trauma occurs in the brain, damaging it or parts of it. Injury can result when an object suddenly pierces through the skull and enters into the brain tissue or when the head hits an object violently.

Symptoms of TBI can vary from mild to moderate and even severe, depending on the extent of damage done to the brain. A person suffering from milder symptoms may experience unconsciousness for a few seconds or minutes or may remain unconscious for a period of time. Other classic symptoms of TBI include severe headaches, lightheadedness, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, tired eyes, bad taste in the mouth, ringing in the ears, lethargy, fatigue, mood swings, behavioral pattern changes, change in sleeping patterns and even trouble with concentration, memory, thinking and attention.

A person suffering from moderate to severe symptoms will show all of the above symptoms, but in addition, will also complain of a severe headache that appears to get worse or just does not go away. Apart from this, the other symptoms are nausea and vomiting, seizures or convulsions, inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of the pupils, weakness, numbness in the extremities, slurred speech, increased confusion, loss of coordination, agitation or restlessness.

What are the Treatment Options?
Anyone showing signs and symptoms of moderate to severe TBI should always receive immediate medical attention. Since very little can be done to reverse the adverse effects of the initial brain damage that is caused by the trauma, medical professionals generally try to stabilize the concerned individual and instead focus on preventing any further damage or injury.

Primary concerns may include ensuring that there is proper supply of oxygen running to the brain and the rest of the body at all times, controlling blood pressure and maintaining adequate blood flow.

There are imaging tests that help to determine the prognosis and diagnosis of the patient. Patients suffering from mild to moderate symptoms may receive neck and skull X-rays to check for spinal instability or for any bone fractures. For moderate to severe injuries, the imaging test held is a computed tomography (CT Scan). Patients with such moderate or severe injures will be subjected to rehabilitation that would involve individually tailored treatment courses and programs in areas like occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, psychology, physiatry, and social support.

Prognosis
More than half of the patients suffering from severe TBI will need immediate surgery in order to repair or remove the ruptured blood vessels or hematomas or the bruised brain tissues or contusions. Disabilities that result from a Traumatic Brain Injury entirely depend on the severity of the injury, the general health of the patient, the age of the person, and the location of the injury.

Some common disabilities are problems with sensory processing (sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste), cognition (memory, reasoning and thinking), mental health or behavior (depression, aggression, anxiety, social inappropriateness, and personality changes), and communication (understanding and expressing).

Some of the more serious injuries can result in unresponsive behavior, a kind of stupor although the individual can be immediately aroused with the help of a strong stimulus like sharp pain. The patient will appear to be in a comatose state and will appear to be completely unresponsive, unconscious, unarousable and unaware. It is a sort of a vegetative state, in which the individual will be completely unaware and unconscious of his surroundings, but will continue to have brief periods of awareness, a regular sleep and wake cycle and will constantly be in a vegetative state for maybe more than a month – this is known as the persistent vegetative state (PVS).

What Research is Being Carried out?
The NINDS or the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has been conducting experiments and research for Traumatic Brain Injuries at its laboratories at the NIH or National Institutes of Health. It also supports research for TBI by donating grants to other major medical institutions all over the country.

The research carried out includes studies performed in clinical settings and laboratories. Research is carried out to better understand TBI and the underlying biological mechanisms that result from damage made to the brain. This research allows scientists to develop new and interesting interventions and strategies to limit the primary as well as secondary damage that may occur within a few days of the injury. It also helps to devise new therapies to help treat head injuries and to improve long-term recovery of body functions.

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the type of cancer that originates in the breast tissues. This cancer generally affects women more than men. When the cancer originates in the lobules, the glands that produce milk, it is called as lobular carcinomas. The cancer that is commonly found occurring within the lining of the milk ducts that supply milk, is called as ductal carcinomas. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she is asked to undergo breast cancer staging. This is a medical system that helps determine characteristics of the tumor. Breast cancer staging is very important in deciding the line of treatment. We shall go into the details of stages of breast cancer in the following paragraphs to understand the grading system better.

Stages of Breast Cancer
I am sure you must be having a question in your mind that is, 'what is staging'. It is actually a process doctors use to assess the location and the size of the cancer. It helps the doctor understand if the tumor is invasive or non-invasive. Staging and grading also helps understand if the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes and other regions or organs of the body. This breast cancer staging system helps the doctor understand the prognosis of the patients condition. It also helps the doctor decide the line of treatment. Let us have a look at the various staging systems used by doctors around the world.

Number Staging System
One of the common ways to stage a breast cancer is using numbers. The breast cancer stages range from 0 to IV and are divided into different categories. Let us go into the details of the number staging system.

Stage 0
Stage 0 is the non-invasive stage of breast cancer sometimes called as Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). This is the completely curable stage of breast cancer. Once the cancer moves on to the later stages, it is termed as invasive breast cancer.

Stage I
Stage 1 breast cancer is the invasive cancer that begins to break into the neighboring normal tissues. The size of the tumor at this stage is about 2 centimeters and it has not yet invaded the lymph nodes.

Stage II
The stage 2 breast cancer is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB. In case of stage IIA, there are three possibilities. First, where the tumor is about 2 cm in size. The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm in this stage. Or in some cases the tumor is about 2 cm or less in size and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm and tumor cells are not present in the breast. In third case, tumor is larger than 2 centimeters and not bigger than 5 centimeters. Also, the cancer cells have not spread to the axillary lymph nodes. If either of these scenarios are observed, then it is called as stage IIA breast cancer. In case of stage IIB, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeter and not bigger than 5 centimeters and spread to the axillary lymph nodes. Or the tumor has grown larger than 5 centimeters but not yet spread to the axillary lymph nodes.

Stage III
Just like stage II, stage 3 breast cancer is divided into IIIA, IIIB and IIIC. These stages are explained below:

Stage IIIA

    * There is no tumor present in the breast and cancer is found in the axillary lymph nodes in form of clumps or the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone
    * Or the tumor is 5 cms or smaller in size and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes in form of clumps
    * Or the tumor is more than 5 cm in size and spread to the axillary lymph nodes in form of clumps

Stage IIIB

    * The tumor can be of any size and spread to the chest wall or the skin of the breast
    * The tumor may also have spread to the axillary lymph nodes or the lymph nodes near the breastbone
    * Stage IIIB includes inflammatory breast cancer, a form of aggressive cancer.

Stage IIIC

    * The cancer has spread to more than 10 lymph nodes under the arm
    * The cancer may have spread to the chest wall, skin of the breast
    * The tumor may also be observed in the lymph nodes above and below the collarbone and near the neck

Stage IV
The stage 4 breast cancer is the one which indicates the cancer has spread to other organs of the body like lungs, liver, bones, brain, etc. This stage is also called as metastatic breast cancer.

TNM Staging System
TNM is another type of breast cancer staging system that is also used by doctors. This system helps give a more precise information related to the spread of cancer.

    * T is used to indicate the size of tumor (cancer)
    * N is used to indicate spread of cancer to the lymph nodes
    * M helps to note if the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body like lungs, liver, bone, etc.

Grading System
The grading system used helps one understand the rate at which the cancer may spread. This is determined by observing the cancer cells under a microscope. There are three grades of breast cancer staging explained below:

Low Grade
The low grade cancer means the cancer cells are more like normal cells and are very slowly growing. It is very unlikely that they may spread to other systems and organs.

High Grade
The high grade cancer indicates the tumor cells appear abnormal and are likely to spread as they have a high rate of growth.

Moderate Grade
The moderate grade indicates the cancer cells have an activity rate that falls between low and high grade. Therefore, one cannot understand the exact rate of growth for these cells.

This is all about breast cancer staging. As you can see, the stages of breast cancer help indicate the spread of cancer within the body. The doctor will also consider the hormone and HER reports to decide the line of treatment for a patient. Hope, the above information has been helpful for you to understand the staging system of breast cancer.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline is a personality disorder which lasts the entire lifetime and it is characterized by extreme variability of disposition, relationships and self perceptions. This type of disorder is a point of interest for the entertainment press and for the research books for the last twenty years.

The diagnostic of borderline disorder was added in the DSM in 1980, but the clinicians used the concept of "borderline" from yearly beginnings in order to describe a person who oscillates between severe neurotic manifestations and psychotic moments. Instability is the key word in the borderline disorder. Those who suffer from this disorder have very unstable moods, with episodes of severe depression, anxiety and fury which appear frequently and almost all the time with absolutely no reason. This instability also marks the concept of self, which has periods of total lack of confidence which then alternate with great self-importance. Because of all these characteristics, the relationships are also extremely unstable and the person suffering from this disorder can smoothly swing from idealizing a person to completely despising him/her without any reason. A classic movie which presents the borderline disorder is Fatal Attraction in which Glenn Close plays the role of an individual profoundly marked by this personality disorder.

Furthermore, people who have this disorder often feel that they are empty on the inside and for this reason they try to establish connections with every new person they encounter, especially with their psychiatrist. By doing this, they hope that these new acquaintances would fill the void they have inside. In the same time, they can wrongly interpret the neutral actions of those surrounding them as being signs of rejection and abandonment. For example, if the therapist calls off a meeting because he feels ill, the patient with the borderline personality can interpret this action as being a sign of rejection causing them to be depressed or furious.

Besides the behavioral instability and the great variability of moods there is also a tendency to self-destructive behaviors, such as mutilation and suicidal. Auto-mutilation takes the form of burnings or cuts. Another set of characteristics shows that these persons are predisposed to episodes of disconnection from reality, alienation, and they can even lose the time notion, forgetting who they are.

The great majority of them are also diagnosed with another acute disorder, such as the abuse of substances, depression, generalized anxiety, phobia, agoraphobia, panic attacks or post-traumatic stress. Longitudinal research made on persons suffering from this disorder show that approximately 10% die from suicidal causes and 75% at least tried to kill themselves.

Many scientists tried to explain the causes of the borderline disorder. One explanation comes from the psycho-analysis theoreticians who suggest that individuals suffering from this disorder have very little developed images towards themselves and the others because of the poor-quality relationships they had in their childhood. Those who brought them up encouraged them to show tight dependence towards them and by contrast discouraged them to develop the self image. As a result, these persons never learn to make a total differentiation between themselves and the others. This fact makes them very sensitive to the others opinion towards them and they perceive this experience as a rejection. Then, they tend to reject themselves as well and this eventually ends in mutilation or suicidal.

Researching inside this theory reveals another cause for the borderline disorder: sexual abuse. This kind of abuse took place in the early childhood and it generated problems regarding the concept of self which many theoreticians believe that it is in the middle of this disorder. Besides, those parents who alternate between episodes of abuse and episodes of love can lead to the development of fundamental distrust towards the others and also of a tendency to view the others entirely good or entirely evil.

In conclusion, the borderline disorder is a personality disorder which represents long term patterns of maladaptive behavior. The prevalence of the disorder on the entire lifespan is of 1%-2%, and it is more often diagnosed for women than for men. People who suffer from it tend to have stormy marital relationships, more difficulties at the working place and physical incapacity. These problems come from emotional, cognitive and social instability.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone cancer is triggered off when there is a disorder of the cells that bones are made up of. If the cancer starts in the bone, it is known as primary bone cancer. Each year about 2000 people are diagnosed with bone tumors in the US. Tumors in the bone occur more commonly in adolescents and children compared to older adults. When the bone is affected by cancer in older adults, it is usually due to the metastasis of the cancer from some other tumor in another organ.

Various Types of Bone Cancer

Bones serve various purposes in the body. They protect and support the organs in the body. For instance, the brain is protected by the skull and the lungs are protected by the ribs. Blood cells are made and stored in the bone marrow, the spongy and soft tissue that many bone have in their center.

Primary bone cancer occurs most commonly in the legs and arms, although it can also affect other bones of the body. Primary bone cancers are usually referred to as sarcomas, of which there are several types. Each type of sarcoma affects a different type of bone tissue, with the most common being: chondrosarcoma; Ewing’s sarcoma; and osteosarcoma.

Chondrosarcoma: This type of bone cancer occurs mostly in adults. It affects the cartilage, which is the rubber-like tissue that is around the joints.

Ewing's sarcoma: This bone cancer occurs most often amongst people between the ages of 10-25, with teenagers being most affected. It affects the shaft, or middle part of large bones. It usually occurs in the long bones of the upper arm and thigh and also the hipbones. It can also affect the ribs.

Osteosarcoma: This is the most common kind of bone cancer and it affects young people in the age group of 10-25 years. Males are more susceptible to it compared to females. Osteosarcoma usually begins where new bone tissue forms, at the ends of bones, as young people grow. The long bones of the legs and arms are usually affected by it.

Cancers like the above, which start in the bone, occur rarely. However, it is quite common for cancers to spread from the other parts of the body to the bone. This type of cancer is known as metastatic cancer. Around 80% of the metastatic cancers that affect the bone are due to primary carcinomas that affect other organs such as the prostate, breast, kidney, lung, stomach, pancreas, and thyroid. Each of these types of metastatic cancers, which affect the bone, is named according to the tissue or organ where the primary cancer occurs.

What are the Bone Cancer Symptoms?

The symptoms of bone cancer vary from one person to another according to the location and size of the bone cancer. Pain is one of the most common bone cancer symptoms. Generally, there is a gradual increase in the severity of the symptoms with time. At first, the pain may only be felt with activity or at night. According to the growth of the cancerous tumor, people may experience the symptoms for weeks, perhaps even months, sometimes even years until they seek medical help. Sometimes a lump or mass may occur either in the tissues that surround the bone or on the bone itself. This commonly occurs with fibrosarcoma or MFH, but can also occur with other types of bone tumors as well. Some of the less common bone cancer symptoms are weight loss, night sweats, chills, and fever. These symptoms usually occur when the cancerous tumor spreads to the other parts of the body.

Various factors affect the successful treatment of bone cancer, one of the most important being the early detection of the symptoms of bone cancer. Moreover, the recovery from this disease is largely dependent on the recognition and understanding of bone cancer symptoms. These symptoms are actually signs warning that something could be wrong. Hence, these symptoms of bone cancer should not be ignored. And, even though the symptoms may ultimately prove to be the root causes of some other ailment, it is better to make certain and not ignore these bone cancer symptoms.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder - BDD

Body Dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is psychological disorder, which makes the patients obsessive about their lo0oks, in fact they rue on an imagined defect in their appearance which they think makes them look ugly and heinous. They have a strong negative feeling regarding their appearance and that prevents them from a normal lifestyle. In spite of continuous reassurances about their looks they look fine the patients fail to understand it. Like most of the Psychological disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder can also be treated with a combination of medicines and counseling. Medications and talking are the methods of probing that help the patient to come out with the reasons behind the firm belief that they have regarding their looks. Gradually the patients are brought face to face with the reality and they consequently start living a normal life wherein they reveal themselves as confidant and smart individuals without any trace of complex.

Signs and Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

The Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder are some of the very obvious ones that can be associated with a disorder that involves the patient being obsessed with his/her looks and the symptoms are as follows:

    * Constantly touching the face and picking at the skin to level it
    * Checking the mirror frequently, also in the glass doors and windows
    * Obsessive watching the celebrity whose looks the patient appreciates and thinks is flawless
    * Constantly seeking reassurance from people around
    * At times patients fail to look at their own reflection in mirrors and glasses.
    * Most of the patients do not want to socialize, there is a marked withdrawal symptom in them and they also feel depressed most of the time.
    * Patients also show obsession with the corrective techniques like Plastic Surgery and like.
    * Patients also constantly compare their looks with the looks of other people.
    * Patients use their hands to hide their flaws and defects.
    * BDD patients also wear accessories like hats and masks to hide their flaws.
    * Patients also go through elaborate grooming sessions. Frequent the salons and beauty spas more than normal.
    * Dangerously the patients of BDD are desperate enough to go ahead and perform surgeries on themselves like plastic surgery, liposuction and like which are bound to lead to fatal situations.

At times patients of BDD also try to commit suicide

Causes of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

There are various causes behind BDD and some of them are as follows but most of the causes are not physical, they are related to the psyche of a person, which might have been disturbed due to a certain reason. Let us check what the causes are:

    * Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
    * Anxiety Disorder
    * Cultural Aspects
    * Chemical Imbalance in the brain
    * Eating Disorder

The disorder arises from one of these factors which create an inferiority complex in people, like if somebody hails from a race that has dark people and comes to a place where there are only fair skinned people, a complex might arise. Similarly if there is an eating disorder one might feel that he or she is too fat or too thin. There are specific features, which mostly become the region of concern like the nose, hair, skin, thighs, legs, teeth, breasts, genitals, chins, eyebrows and fingers.

Treatment of body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Most of the time antidepressants are given by the doctors to these patients to calm them. BDD or Body Dysmorphic Disorder also can be cured with the help of curative therapy, which can take all the negative feelings out of one’s mind and body so that the thinking procedure can be changed. Patients are taught to check their thoughts and control or channelize them towards a positive direction.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder is a balloon shaped hollow organ located in the pelvic region of the body, which stores urine generated by the kidneys, until it is expelled from the body. The bladder wall consists of two types of cells, transitional cells and squamous cells. Cancer or malignant tumors usually develops in the cells that line the wall of the bladder, i.e. in the transitional cells. This type of bladder cancer is known as transitional cell carcinoma. If cancer develops in the squamous cells, it is called squamous cell carcinoma. Another type is adenocarcinoma that begins in the cells that form the mucus secreting glands in the bladder. Out of these, transitional cell carcinoma is the most prevalent form. Bladder cancer is also classified as superficial and invasive cancer. When the cancer affects only the cells in the lining of the bladder, it is known as superficial cancer, while the cancer that spread to the muscle layer of the bladder wall is termed as invasive cancer. Bladder cancer can produce several symptoms. But discussing more about bladder cancer symptoms and treatment, let's take a brief look at the causes and the risk factors of this condition.

Causes and Risk Factors for Bladder Cancer

The exact causes of bladder cancer are not known with certainty, though a number of factors have been found to be associated with this condition. The risk for developing cancer of the bladder increases with age and this cancer has been found to be more prevalent among men than women. Again, this cancer is more common among white men than African Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Apart from these, use of tobacco or smoking is one of the most important risk factors for bladder cancer. Some other risk factors for this condition are, exposure to certain chemicals like, arsenic, as well as chemicals used in the manufacturing of rubber, dyes, leather, paints and textiles, a family history of bladder cancer, personal history of bladder cancer, parasitic infection and previous cancer treatment with drugs like, cyclophosphamide.

Bladder Cancer Symptoms and Signs

Bladder cancer symptoms in men and women are more or less similar. In case of women, the cancer can spread to nearby organs like, uterus and vagina, which can present some additional symptoms. On the other hand, in case of men the cancer can spread to the prostate gland. The cancer can also invade the wall of the abdomen in both men and women. The most commonly observed bladder cancer symptoms in females, as well as men are

    * Blood in urine or hematuria (the most common symptom of bladder cancer)
    * Frequent urges to urinate (due to the inflammation and irritation caused by the growth of the cancerous cells)
    * Painful urination or a burning sensation while passing urine
    * Pain in the abdomen and in the lower back area (could be a sign of cancer spreading to the kidneys)

The above mentioned symptoms can however, be associated with conditions other than bladder cancer. Conditions like, urinary tract infections, bladder infection, bladder and kidney stones can produce symptoms, which can be very similar to the symptoms of bladder cancer. If the cancer is in the advanced stage, then one can observe a few more symptoms in addition to those mentioned above. These symptoms include, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, fever, anemia and pain in the rectal, anal and pelvic area or bone pain. The bladder cancer symptoms in children are almost similar to those observed in their adult counterparts.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Bladder Cancer

Diagnosis of bladder cancer involves a thorough study of the patient's medical history and the bladder cancer symptoms, followed by physical examination, urine test, X-ray, CT scan, MRI, cystoscopy and if required, biopsy. Like other types of cancer, bladder cancer can be treated with the help of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and biological therapy. There are mainly three types of surgery, which are performed for bladder cancer treatment and these procedures are known as cystectomy, transurethral resection and urinary diversion. Chemotherapy involves administration of drugs to kill the cancerous cells, while radiation therapy uses high energy beams for this purpose. Biological therapy, also known as immunotherapy on the other hand, works by stimulating and directing the immune system to fight against the cancerous cell, and arrest their growth.

So, this is a brief overview of bladder cancer symptoms, causes and treatment. Bladder cancer is usually identified in the early stage, which makes it possible to treat the condition effectively. However, the main problem with bladder cancer is that it can recur, for which it is important to undergo follow up testing or screening even after successful treatment of the condition. To ensure prompt treatment, it is important to consult a physician at the earliest on observing the symptoms of the condition. Lastly, risk for bladder cancer can be reduced by controlling the risk factors for this condition, which means that one needs to avoid smoking, reduce the exposure to chemicals, drink plenty of water throughout the day and follow a healthy and balanced diet.