The bladder and urinary system

The bladder is part of the body system that filters waste products out of the blood
and makes urine. This is called the urinary system (or urinary tract). It is made up
of the
   • Kidneys
   • Ureters
   • Bladder
   • Urethra

Normally, there are two kidneys, one on each side of the body. The kidneys filter
your blood and make urine. The urine is carried to the bladder by two tubes called
the ureters. The bladder is like a balloon which stores urine. It is a stretchy
bag, made of muscle tissue, and can hold about 500mls or 3 cups of urine.

The urine collecting tubes within the kidney, the ureters, the bladder, and the
urethra are all lined with transitional cells. Transitional cell carcinoma
(TCC, also urothelial cell carcinoma or UCC) is a type of cancer that typically
occurs in the urinary system: the kidney, urinary bladder, and accessory organs.
It is the most common type of bladder cancer and cancer of the ureter, urethra,
and urachus. It is the second most common type of kidney cancer.

The bladder is made up of a number of layers. Bladder cancer starts in the innermost
lining. How your specialist treats your bladder cancer will depend on how far the
cancer has grown into these layers. This tells your doctor the stage of your bladder
cancer.

The inside of the bladder has a special type of lining that stretches as the bladder
fills up. This lining is called transitional epithelium. It stops the urine being
absorbed back into the body. Below this first layer is a thin layer of connective
tissue called the lamina propria. Underneath this layer is muscle tissue called the
muscularis propria. Around the muscle tissue is a layer of fatty connective tissue,
which separates the bladder from other body organs such as the prostate and kidneys.

                                                                                              To be continued