Bladder cancer begins in the bladder, the organ that stores urine.
The wall of the bladder has several layers, and cancer may appear on the surface layer, penetrate into the muscle layers or even invade the surrounding organs. This type of cancer affects the flat, scale-like cells on the surface of the skin called squamous cells. In bladder cancer it is often associated with chronic inflammation, and in tropical climates with bilharzial parasites in a condition called urinary schistosomiasis. The American Cancer Society predicts that approximately 53,200 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the year 2000 in the US, and about 12,200 people will die of the disease. Multiple recurrences often occur over the years in the same patient.