What is bladder cancer? The most common cancer of the dog urinary bladder is invasive … will cause these same symptoms, so the symptoms alone do not necessarily mean their dog has TCC Updated: October 5, 2009 CANINE BLADDER CANCER Cancer of the urinary tract in dogs can affect the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, prostate, or urethra (see Figure 1) . Within the urinary system, the bladder is the location most frequently affected with cancer. Compared to cancer in other locations in the body, bladder cancer is unusual, …

What is bladder cancer? The most common cancer of the dog urinary bladder is invasive transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of intermediate to high grade. TCC is also called urothelial carcinoma. TCC is a malignant tumor that develops from the transitional epithelial cells that line the bladder. In dogs, this tumor invades into the deeper layers of the bladder wall including the muscle layers. As the cancer enlarges in the bladder, it can cause obstruction to the flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder or from the bladder to the outside of the body. Canine TCC also has the ability to spread to lymph nodes and to other organs in the body (lung, liver, others). TCC most frequently is found in the bladder, but can also develop in the kidneys, ureters, prostate, and urethra. In regards to human bladder cancer, most cases fall into two general categories: (1) lower grade, superficial tumors, and (2) higher grade, invasive tumors. It is fortunate that the majority of people with bladder cancer have the lower grade, superficial form of the disease. Dogs, on the other hand most often develop the higher grade, invasive form of bladder cancer. 2 What causes TCC in dogs? The exact cause of TCC in an individual dog is usually not known. In general, canine TCC results from a combination of several factors including genetic predisposition and environmental factors. A genetic predisposition is suspected because TCC is more common in specific breeds of dogs. Scottish Terriers have an 18-20 fold higher risk of TCC than other dogs. Shetland Sheepdogs, Beagles, West Highland White Terriers, and Wire Hair Fox Terriers are 3 to 5 times more likely to develop TCC than other dogs. Environmental factors identified as risk factors in early studies have included pesticides and insecticides such as “old generation” flea dips. The greatest cause of TCC in humans is smoking. Further study is needed to determine the extent to which second hand smoke may contribute to TCC in dogs.

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