Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is a malignant (aggressive) and metastasizing (spreading) cancer arising from the transitional epithelium – the highly stretchable lining of the urinary tract system – of the kidney, ureters (the tubes that carry fluid from the kidneys to the bladder), urinary bladder, urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside), prostate, or vagina. It usually arises in the lower neck of the bladder, where it is virtually impossible to surgically remove, and causes a partial or complete obstruction to urination.
Flea-control products (organophosphates and carbamate) and cyclophosphamide are possible causal agents in dogs. In addition, TCC occurs most commonly in female dogs.
Symptoms of TCC include:
Straining to urinate
Frequent urination of small amounts (pollakiuria)
Blood in urine (hematuria)
Difficulty urinating (dysuria)
Wetting on the floor, furniture, bed, etc. (urinary incontinence)
