Urinary Tract Cancer, Spreading

What is urinary tract cancer?

Urinary tract cancer is the growth of abnormal cells in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. Growths of cancer cells are called tumors. Urinary tract cancer metastasis is cancer that started as a tumor in the urinary tract and has spread to other parts of the body.

Spread of cancer cells from the urinary tract to other parts of the body is called metastasis.

What causes spread of the cancer?

Urinary tract cancer spreads when cancer cells from the tumor in the urinary tract travel through the bloodstream and lymph system to other parts of the body. New tumors then grow in these other areas. How far the cancer spreads depends on the type of cells, their location, and your response to treatment. Urinary tract cancer commonly spreads to the lungs, bones, lymph nodes, and liver.

Some urinary tract cancers happen after cells lining the urinary tract have been exposed to cancer-causing chemicals in the urine for many years. Often the cause of the cancer is not known.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of cancer that has spread depend on where the new tumors are. Some possible symptoms are:

• pain in the lower back
• bone pain
• swelling in the legs

How is it diagnosed?

A physical exam or X-rays may show tumors growing in other parts of the body. Other tests used to detect the spread of cancer are:

• ultrasound scan, which uses sound waves and their echoes passed through your body from a small device held against your skin to create pictures of the inside of the kidneys
• intravenous pyelogram (IVP), which uses an injected dye and X-rays to show the kidneys, ureters, and bladder
• CT scan, which is a series of X-rays taken from different angles and arranged by a computer to show thin cross sections of organs inside the belly and pelvis
• urine tests
• blood tests

How is it treated?

The treatment for cancer that has spread to other parts of your body depends on:

• your symptoms
• how much the cancer has spread to other parts of the body
• which treatments you have already had
• your overall health

Some of the treatment options, which may be used alone or together, are:

• Chemotherapy: Anticancer drugs may be used to try to kill the cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy: Cancerous areas may be exposed to high doses of radiation to:
  • shrink the size of a tumor or destroy some of the cancer cells
  • lessen pain if a tumor is pressing on a nerve or spreading to the bones
  • control bleeding from the cancer into the urine

Surgery is not usually used to treat metastatic urinary tract cancer except to stop severe bleeding or remove a blockage of the flow of urine.

How can I take care of myself?

• Follow the full course of treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider.
• Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise and rest.
• Try to reduce stress and take time for activities that you enjoy. It may help to talk with a counselor about your illness.
• Ask your healthcare provider any questions you have about the disease, treatments, side effects of the treatments, sexuality, support groups, and anything else that concerns you.
• Ask your provider about alternative methods for pain control, such as relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and hypnosis.
• For more information, contact:

  American Cancer Society, Inc.
  Phone: 800-ACS-2345 (800-227-2345)
  Web site: http://www.cancer.org

  National Cancer Institute
  Phone: 800-4-CANCER, or 800-422-6237 (TTY: 1-800-332-8615)
  Web site: http://www.cancer.gov

How can I help prevent the spread of urinary tract cancer?

The spread of cancer may be prevented by finding and treating urinary tract cancer early, before it spreads to other parts of the body. Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations for treatment and have checkups as often as your provider recommends.

The most important risk factor for urinary tract cancer is smoking. Stop smoking if you are a smoker.