Research hope for bladder cancer

Research carried out by a team at Plymouth University has for the first identified an important mechanism behind the process that allows a benign, small polyp to develop into spreading and invasive bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is a common condition – an estimated 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK. It is the seventh most common cancer in the UK, affecting men more than women. Some people develop invasive bladder cancer, which is where the cancer has grown through the muscle layer of the bladder. When this occurs, there is a higher risk that the cancer will spread to other areas of the body and it is much more difficult to treat. Until now the signalling process that allows a benign, small polyp to develop into something that spreads and is invasive has not been clear. But research carried out by a team at Plymouth University has for the first identified an important mechanism behind this process.