Aside from how it affects the organ within which it is located, bladder cancer can have a cascading impact on other areas of the body as well once it has metastasized. One potential hazard of bladder cancer is the possibility of renal failure, which is a reduction in output from the kidneys that can possibly lead to complete cessation of function.
Bladder Cancer
According to Medline Plus, bladder cancer is a condition in which a cancerous tumor begins to grow within the bladder. These tumors are divided into two categories: papillary and non-papillary, with non-papillary tumors growing in the wall of the bladder and papillary tumors growing on a stalk attached to the bladder. Risk factors include smoking, exposure to hazardous chemicals and parasitic infection.
Bladder Cancer Complications
As the tumor grows, it will eventually begin to invade other surrounding areas of the body, progressing into a case of advanced cancer. This brings with it a host of additional possible symptoms, including complete or partial urinary obstruction, general and localized pain, spread of the cancer to surrounding organs like the lungs or bones, and kidney failure.
Kidney Failure
According to information from Merck.com, one of the major underlying causes for acute renal failure is the existence of bladder cancer. Symptoms of impending kidney failure include blood in the stool, halitosis, fatigue, seizures and a reduction in appetite. If you are undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, your doctor should be informed promptly of any of these symptoms to avert potential catastrophe.
Treatments
A reduction in kidney output is merely a sign of impending kidney failure, which will result in death. According to Medline Plus, treatment of the underlying condition (the cancer) will improve kidney function, but stopgap measures might be necessary in the interim, such as adherence to a low-protein diet to take some of the strain off of the kidneys.
Complications
Just as bladder cancer resulted in reduced kidney output, so too can reduced kidney output result in a variety of other conditions. Possible complications from an untreated reduction in kidney output include permanent damage to the kidneys, damage to the nervous system or the heart, anemia resulting from blood loss through the intestinal tract, and hypertension.
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