Seeing Bladder Cancer

Every year in the UK, 10,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer, with more than half of all cases occurring from smoking. It can be difficult to spot bladder cancer at its early stages. If the doctor suspects that bladder cancer is present, one of the first tests patients will receive is cystoscopy. A cystoscope – a camera attached to a thin tube – is passed into the urethra giving a view of the inside of the bladder (pictured). Traditionally, cystoscopes shine a white light into the bladder (left). Building on this technique, researchers have now developed a cystoscope with a blue light, allowing tumours that were previously invisible to be seen fluorescing (in pink, right). With a better understanding of the extent of the bladder cancer, doctors will be able to more accurately diagnose and tailor treatment of their patients.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image by Photocure
• MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington DC, USA
• Image copyright held by the photographer
• Research published in Bladder Cancer, April 2016