Bladder cancer develops when cancerous cells form within bladder tissue. Typically, bladder cancer is detected early as individuals afflicted with the disease will experience pain during urination and blood in their urine. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 80,000 individuals are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually. When an individual is diagnosed with bladder cancer, there are multiple treatment options depending on the severity of the disease: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and target therapy.
Cancer Center at Illinois scientists have been exploring this disease in a number of different ways — developing models of the cancer type for further studies, exploring different treatments with VetMed, using nanobubble treatments to enhanced therapy, and investigating the relationship between other ailments and bladder cancer.