Monthly Archives: December 2021
Cystoscopy – A Patient’s Perspective
A cystoscopy is an important test, used by your urologist, to examine the inside of the bladder. It’s an outpatient procedure, which means you may be at your doctor’s office, a hospital, or clinic and go home the same day. This procedure lets your doctor check the complete length of your urethra and the bladder for cancerous or pre-cancerous polyps, narrow areas called strictures, abnormal growths, and other problems. Your urologist will insert a thin, lighted instrument called a cystoscope into the bladder through the urethra.The procedure generally takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Do Kidney Stones Increase the Risk of Kidney Cancer?
The kidneys, located in the mid-upper abdomen (around the back) are our bodies’ main filtration system, eliminating excess waste products, salt and water. Beyond this filtration, the kidneys also play a role in blood pressure and red blood cell regulation. The kidneys create urine, which is pass through the ureters, to the bladder and then eventually out of the body. As such, the kidneys are an incredibly important part of our overall function. Kidney diseases that require the removal of a kidney are not a death sentence, however. Our bodies can function normally on one kidney and even those who do not have working kidneys can survive with an external filtration process, known as dialysis. Although kidney cancer is one of the top 10 most common cancers in the United States, the number of new cases diagnosed each year (about 65,000) is less than 1/3 the number of breast cancer, prostate cancer, or lung cancer diagnoses. Much like other cancers, early detection is critical for treatment and survivability. However, even advanced forms of kidney cancer are being treated more effectively than ever before.
