Bladder Cancer...hereditary?

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Mike Jaffe - 12 Oct 2006 20:56 GMT

I am a 35 year old male who lost his father to Bladder cancer when he
was 54 and a grandfather to bladder cancer . I recently had a bout with
kidney stones and the urologist suggested I have a cystoscope because of
my family history and a small amount of blood in my urine (which could
have also been from the stones). My father and grandfather worked in an
industry where they used allot of dyes, glues, and paints. They both
smoked as well. I on the other hand, don't. I also do not drink or smoke.

I'm not afraid of having a cystoscope, although I know it wont be
pleasant. But what I'm really wondering.... Is this really necessary to
do at 35? Is it really hereditary? I have heard mixed things.

Thoughts?

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Steph - 13 Oct 2006 02:58 GMT

>I am a 35 year old male who lost his father to Bladder cancer when he was
>54 and a grandfather to bladder cancer . I recently had a bout with kidney
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Thoughts?

It's not hereditary.
If you don't smoke or work with nasty chemicals, you would be very unlucky
to get bladder cancer

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starfleet - 13 Oct 2006 11:52 GMT

Mike Jaffe schreef:

> I'm not afraid of having a cystoscope, although I know it wont be
> pleasant. But what I'm really wondering.... Is this really necessary
> to do at 35? Is it really hereditary? I have heard mixed things.
>
> Thoughts?

It's not hereditary but in some family's there is a predisposition for
cancer and not all bladdercancer patients smoke or have smoked. I think
it's wise of the urologist to do a cystoscopy if you had blood in your
urine. Might be from the stones, but better safe than sorry.

Anne

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moico - 14 Oct 2006 23:00 GMT

newly diagnoses. I am a NON soker, never smoked, never worked with
chemicals, no family history of this type of cancer (bladder cancer).
Doctor wanted to constantly steer the conversation to smoking though. I
wondered if that is for them (the medical people) to just add it as a
cause. Then went on that second hand smoke, etc etc. Aren''t we all
exposed to smoke at one point or another. Nowadays there are a lot of
non smoking places (where I live) but where did my bladder cancer come
from, I have no idea, but absolutely not from smoking.
Treatment - I am on a waiting list till early November, it will most
likely be fulguration.
Anyone having any experience with that?
Does it require anesthesia, how long is the operation/recuperation. I
don't know. Doctor said to me, all in ten seconds, it is cancer, phone
my office for an appointment. So much for some sensitivity.
-
Sorry to be so longwinded, I am in a daze.

> Mike Jaffe schreef:
> >
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Anne

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starfleet - 15 Oct 2006 09:57 GMT

moico schreef:

> Does it require anesthesia, how long is the operation/recuperation. I
> don't know. Doctor said to me, all in ten seconds, it is cancer, phone
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
>

Most likely a spinal anesthesia, but you can choose for total anesthesia
to. You can go home when the bladder is no longer bleeding and a
catheter is no longer necessary. Mostly people stay overnight in
hospital and go home the following morning, recuperation is short, but
you have to be careful with lifting things etc. for a few weeks until
the bladder is healed. You can google for TURT. Operation/recuperation
varies. I had a TURT in June and found it quite uneventful. Be sure to
ask the urologist about grade and stage when the pathology report is
available. A lot of bladdercancers are low grade and superficial and the
survivalrate is very, very high. with a low grade superficial tumor.

Anne

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Don - 20 Oct 2006 03:48 GMT

> newly diagnoses. I am a NON soker, never smoked, never worked with
> chemicals, no family history of this type of cancer (bladder cancer).

Same here. I was diagnosed at 40. Family has a history of cancer but not
bladder.

> non smoking places (where I live) but where did my bladder cancer come
> from, I have no idea, but absolutely not from smoking.

My pathologist said, "You can't fight genetics". Maybe it IS heridetary.
Maybe it IS environmental (we do breathe and drink a lot of chemically
crappy air and water nowadays). Maybe it IS a bad gene that's turned on. We
really can't always know.

Main thing is now you have to deal with it. You'll cool out (if you haven't
already by now) from the shock. Most bladder cancers are superficial. Now I
certainly don't like it you have to wait until November but maybe it's not
as urgent and that can be a good sign. Either that or you healthcare
situation needs some fixing!

Are you under the care of a urologist? What symptoms did you have? How old
are you? Did you get ditrected toward this diagnosis or have to go through
some different attempts to diagnose you?

You can e-mail me if you'd like to rap. I had some problems after my TURB
but it was an anomaly. I don't really frequent these newsgroups too often so
if you would like to e-mail me with questions or whatever I'd be glad to
talk to you. I posted my story under Jeannette's "bladder cancer" topic
10-14.

> Sorry to be so longwinded, I am in a daze.

>> > I'm not afraid of having a cystoscope, although I know it wont be
>> > pleasant. But what I'm really wondering.... Is this really necessary
>> > to do at 35? Is it really hereditary? I have heard mixed things.
>> >
>> > Thoughts?

It IS necessary to have the cystoscopy. Hopefully and probably the tumor is
superficial but it won't stay that way, ya gotta get it out! And that's the
only way. I saw my tumor image after PVA procedure and actually took the
images to the urologist. Here I am all freaked out that I have a bladder
tumor. You can see this big ol' darkend shadow-like tumor where the dye ran
around it. My urologist looked at it and said it didn't impress him! I was
thinking, .."the nerve of this guy! A big tumor growing in my bladder and
he's not concerned?" He then explained that it could grow as big as it
wanted to, it's the ATTACHMENT to the bladder lining that counts. He said
that though the tumor was large, it appeared the attachment contacting the
bladder lining was small. WHEW!!! Of course one never knows for sure until a
cysto is done but he was right. I know it's all a freaky thing but you more
than likely be OK with this. You'll just be like the rest of us,
survillence for the rest of your life. Not all a bad thing. Plus you'll
learn so much from researching you'll be a urology "expert". You'll have
friends and family coming to you for advice on their "pee" problems :)

Don

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