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Bladder Cancer

  • Posted: 08/30/2010

The Bladder

Your bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. It stores urine, the liquid waste made by the kidneys.

Your bladder is part of the urinary tract. Urine passes from each kidney into the bladder through a long tube called a ureter. Urine leaves the bladder through a shorter tube (the urethra).

The wall of the bladder has layers of tissue:

  • Inner layer: The inner layer of tissue is also called the lining. As your bladder fills up with urine, the transitional cells on the surface stretch. When you empty your bladder, these cells shrink.
  • Middle layer: The middle layer is muscle tissue. When you empty your bladder, the muscle layer in the bladder wall squeezes the urine out of your body.
  • Outer layer: The outer layer covers the bladder. It has fat, fibrous tissue, and blood vessels.
This picture shows the bladder and nearby organs in a man

This picture shows the bladder and nearby organs in a man.

This picture shows the bladder and nearby organs in a woman.

This picture shows the bladder and nearby organs in a woman.



Glossary Terms

abdomen (AB-doh-men)
The area of the body that contains the pancreas, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and other organs.
fibrous (FY-brus)
Containing or resembling fibers.
kidney (KID-nee)
One of a pair of organs in the abdomen. Kidneys remove waste from the blood (as urine), produce erythropoietin (a substance that stimulates red blood cell production), and play a role in blood pressure regulation.
organ (OR-gun)
A part of the body that performs a specific function. For example, the heart is an organ.
tissue (TIH-shoo)
A group or layer of cells that work together to perform a specific function.
ureter (YER-eh-ter)
The tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.
urethra (yoo-REE-thruh)
The tube through which urine leaves the body. It empties urine from the bladder.
urinary tract (YOOR-ih-NAYR-ee trakt)
The organs of the body that produce and discharge urine. These include the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
urine (YOOR-in)
Fluid containing water and waste products. Urine is made by the kidneys, stored in the bladder, and leaves the body through the urethra.