What are Genitourinary Cancers?
Genitourinary (GU) cancers affect both the urinary system and reproductive tract. Cancers such as adrenal, bladder, and kidney originate in the urinary system, while prostate, penile, and testicular cancers affect the male reproductive organs. Prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers are the most commonly diagnosed GU cancers in adults.
Risk factors for GU cancer include:
- A family history of GU cancers
- Smoking
- Race and ethnicity
- Exposure to harmful chemicals (especially in bladder cancer cases)
- High blood pressure and obesity
Being aware of your risk and seeking routine screening is important, as many GU cancers do not present with obvious symptoms in their earliest stages when they are most treatable.
Types of GU Cancers We Treat
The Chesapeake Urology Cancer Center care team has extensive expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of a full spectrum of genitourinary cancers, including:
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among American
men, and about 10% of men develop the disease at some point in their lifetime,
most after the age of 50.
Learn more about prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Bladder Cancer
The most common type of bladder cancer, transitional or urothelial cell,
starts in the lining of the bladder. Bladder cancer is highly treatable
in the early stages of the disease, but the disease often has no symptoms
until it is more advanced.
Learn more about bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Kidney Cancer (Renal cell carcinoma)
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of adult kidney cancer
in the U.S. Smoking is one of the top risk factors for the development
of kidney cancer. Being over the age of 60, African American, having a
family history of RCC, obesity, and being male also puts you in the higher-risk group.
Learn more about kidney cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Testicular Cancer
This cancer is known as a young man’s disease, affecting males between
the ages of 15 to 35 years. Early detection through regular self-exams
is important as testicular cancer can be treated successfully in more
than 95% of cases when caught early.
Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer.
Penile Cancer
Penile cancer is a very rare form of cancer affecting only about 1,300
men each year.
Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment for penile cancer.
Ureter and Urethral Cancer
These rare cancers develop in the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder (ureters) and from the bladder out of the body (urethra).
Adrenal Gland Cancer
This rare cancer is a tumor that starts in the adrenal glands, the small hormone-producing gland that sits atop each kidney.