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What is Bladder Cancer:
Where Does Bladder Cancer Start?
The bladder is a hollow organ in the pelvis with flexible, muscular walls. Its main function is to store urine before it leaves the body. Urine is made by the kidneys and is then carried to the bladder through tubes called ureters.
During urination, the muscles in the bladder contract, and urine is forced out of the bladder through a tube called the urethra. In women, the urethra is a very short tube that opens just above the vagina. In men, the urethra is longer. It passes through the prostate gland and the penis, and opens at the tip of the penis.
The wall of the bladder has several layers. A layer of cells lines the inside of the ureter, bladder, and urethra, and parts of the kidney. These cells are called urothelial or transitional cells, so this inner layer is called the urothelium or transitional epithelium. Beneath the urothelium is a thin layer of connective tissue called the lamina propria. Next is a layer of muscle tissue called the muscularis propria. After this muscle, another zone of fatty connective tissue separates the bladder from other nearby organs.
These layers are important in understanding bladder cancer. Most bladder cancers start in the urothelium. As the cancer grows through the other layers in the bladder, it becomes harder to treat.