Carcinoma of the bladder has been linked to occupational exposure to chemicals, parasitic infections, and cigarette smoking. A key symptom is sudden, painless hematuria. Often the cancer can be seen by viewing the lining of the bladder with a cystoscope. This instrument can also be used to biopsy tissue for study. If treatment is not effective in permanently removing the tumor, a cystectomy (removal of the bladder) may be necessary. In this case, the ureters must be vented elsewhere, such as directly to the surface of the body through the ileum in an ileal conduit (Fig. 1), or to some other portion of the intestine.

Cancer may also involve the kidney and renal pelvis. Additional means for diagnosing cancer and other disorders of the urinary tract include ultrasound, computed tomography scans, and radiographic studies such as intravenous urography, also called intravenous pyelography, and retrograde pyelography.

FIGURE 1. Ileal conduit.

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