Contents
Symptoms
Symptoms of advanced bladder cancer. Being unable to urinate. Lower back pain on one side. Loss of appetite and weight loss. Feeling tired or weak. Swelling in the feet. Bone pain.
Causes
Signs of Bladder Cancer. Blood in the Urine. It may be very faint with a pink tinge, or the blood may be obvious. Hematuria often occurs without pain or other urinary symptoms. Irritation, Pain, or Burning while Urinating. Urgency. Frequency. Having to Urinate at Night.
Prevention
Feb 10, 2022 · By far, the most common warning sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (hematuria). This can be visible as a person is urinating or detected only under the microscope. Less often, people may have symptoms of bladder irritation, such as painful urination, frequency, urgency, or needing to urinate more frequently at night (nocturia).
Complications
Other symptoms that may be indicative of bladder cancer include: Abdominal pain When you experience pain in your abdomen that comes and goes or does not go away. Fatigue Constantly feeling tired or tiring easily. Lower back pain Pain in your lower back that does not feel the same as a pulled muscle or disk problems. Appetite loss or weight loss
Do you know the early signs of bladder cancer?
Pain or burning sensation during urination Frequent urination Feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night Feeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine Lower back pain on 1 side of the body Most often, bladder cancer is diagnosed after a person tells their doctor about blood in the urine, also called hematuria.
What are the early symptoms of bladder cancer?
Feb 28, 2022 · Blood in the urine (hematuria): This is typically the first sign of bladder cancer. It may be present on a regular basis or disappear and reappear over the course of days or weeks. Sometimes blood is present in such a small amount that it can’t be seen with the naked eye, called microscopic hematuria, buta urine test may be able to detect it.
Can you spot the signs of bladder cancer?
In many cases, the first noticeable sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (hematuria), which can make the urine appear dark yellow, light pink, bright red or reddish-brown.
See more
May 11, 2022 · Bladder cancer is among the top 10 most common cancer types in the world, with approximately 573,000 new cases annually. Men are statistically more likely to develop bladder cancer than women, and …
How do you know if you have bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer signs and symptoms may include: Blood in urine (hematuria), which may cause urine to appear bright red or cola colored, though sometimes the urine appears normal and blood is detected on a lab test. Frequent urination. Painful urination. Back pain.
What type of cancer is a bladder cancer?
Types of bladder cancer include: Urothelial carcinoma. Urothelial carcinoma , previously called transitional cell carcinoma, occurs in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. Urothelial cells expand when your bladder is full and contract when your bladder is empty.
Where is the bladder located?
Your kidneys, located in the rear portion of your upper abdomen, produce urine by filtering waste and fluid from your blood. Bladder cancer is a common type of cancer that begins in the cells of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Bladder cancer most often begins in …
Where does bladder cancer start?
Bladder cancer is a common type of cancer that begins in the cells of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Bladder cancer most often begins in the cells (urothelial cells) that line the inside of your bladder. Urothelial cells are also found in your kidneys and the tubes (ureters) …
Can bladder cancer come back?
But even early-stage bladder cancers can come back after successful treatment. For this reason, people with bladder cancer typically need follow-up tests for years after treatment to look for bladder cancer that recurs.
How does bladder cancer develop?
Bladder cancer develops when cells in the bladder begin to grow abnormally, forming a tumor in the bladder. Bladder cancer begins when cells in the bladder develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. A cell’s DNA contains instructions that tell the cell what to do.
What is the most common type of bladder cancer?
Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer in the United States. Squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is associated with chronic irritation of the bladder — for instance, from an infection or from long-term use of a urinary catheter. Squamous cell bladder cancer is rare in the United States.
What is the most common sign of bladder cancer?
Blood in the urine (hematuria) is often the most common sign of bladder cancer. There are other symptoms to watch for as well. They may be caused by something other than bladder cancer, but it’s important to have them checked out by a doctor.
Can blood be seen in urine?
Hematuria often occurs without pain or other urinary symptoms. Blood may not be present in the urine all the time — it may come and go. If blood is not visibly noticeable, it may be detected by a urine test.
Can hematuria be detected by urine?
Blood may not be present in the urine all the time — it may come and go. If blood is not visibly noticeable, it may be detected by a urine test.
Early Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
In the earliest stages of bladder cancer, most people do not have symptoms. When early symptoms do occur, they can have many other potential causes that are more likely than bladder cancer. Early symptoms include:
Later Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Other symptoms are much less common or may occur later during bladder cancer. Some of these symptoms may be due to the spread of a bladder cancer to other regions of the body, and include: 4
Bladder Cancer in Men vs. Women
Bladder cancer is 3 to 4 times more common in people assigned male at birth than in people assigned female at birth. 5
Complications
There are very few complications during the earliest stages of bladder cancer. These may include: 4
When to See a Healthcare Provider
There are currently no guidelines or recommendations for screening people at risk of bladder cancer, including those who have significant risk factors. Clinical trials are ongoing to see if screening may detect bladder cancer early in some populations. 9
Summary
The most common early symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. The blood either may be visible to the naked eye or only able to be seen under a microscope. Other common symptoms include painful urination, increased frequency or urgency to urinate, needing to urinate in the middle of the night, and pain in one side of the lower back.
A Word From Verywell
Catching bladder cancer in the earliest stages greatly increases your chance for a cure.
Blood in urine (hematuria)
The most common clinical sign of bladder cancer is painless gross hematuria, blood in the urine that can easily be seen.
Painful urination
Pain when urinating, urgency, frequency and a constant need to urinate may be symptoms a bladder cancer patient initially experiences. Oftentimes, though, these are merely symptoms of a urinary tract infection and antibiotics become the first line of treatment.
Urgent need to urinate
Urination urgency, or feeling like you must pee immediately, can be a sign of bladder cancer. This can happen even when your bladder is not full. If you experience this (it can happen to men and women), we strongly recommend that you go see your primary doctor, or a urologist.
Feeling the need (but unable) to pass urine
Sometimes, the urgent need to urinate is accompanied by the inability to empty your bladder. Again, the need but inability to urinate is likely to be cause by something other than bladder cancer, but it is still very important to get checked out by your doctor.
Abdominal pain
When you experience pain in your abdomen that comes and goes or does not go away.
Lower back pain
Pain in your lower back that does not feel the same as a pulled muscle or disk problems.
How would I know if I had bladder cancer?
Only a doctor can confirm or rule out bladder cancer. Learn how doctors diagnose and monitor bladder cancer.
Can bladder cancer cause pain?
People with bladder cancer may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes, people with bladder cancer do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not cancer. Blood or blood clots in the urine. Pain or burning sensation during urination.
Can bladder cancer cause burning sensation?
Sometimes, people with bladder cancer do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not cancer. Blood or blood clots in the urine. Pain or burning sensation during urination. Frequent urination.
What is the name of the condition where the back of the bladder hurts?
Most often, bladder cancer is diagnosed after a person tells their doctor about blood in the urine, also called hematuria. “Gross hematuria” means that enough blood is present in the urine that the patient can see it.
Can hematuria be diagnosed with bladder cancer?
General urine tests are not used to make a specific diagnosis of bladder cancer because hematuria can be a sign of several other conditions that are not cancer, such as an infection or kidney stones.
Can bladder cancer spread to other parts of the body?
Sometimes when the first symptoms of bladder cancer appear, the cancer has already spread to another part of the body. In this situation, the symptoms depend on where the cancer has spread. For example, cancer that has spread to the lungs may cause a cough or shortness of breath, spread to the liver may cause abdominal pain or jaundice …
Can cancer cause shortness of breath?
For example, cancer that has spread to the lungs may cause a cough or shortness of breath, spread to the liver may cause abdominal pain or jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), and spread to the bone may cause bone pain or a fracture (broken bone).
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Inability to urinate. Lower back pain, generally focused on one side. Weakness or fatigue. Feet swelling. Bone pain. Pelvic pain. Unexplained weight loss. Appetite loss. If bladder cancer has spread, or metastasized, to another part of the body, it may cause symptoms related to that body part.
How do you know if you have bladder cancer?
When bladder tumors grow larger, or cancer cells spread to other areas of the body, they may cause symptoms including: Inability to urinate. Lower back pain, generally focused on one side. Weakness or fatigue. Feet swelling.
Can bladder cancer cause abnormal urine?
Bladder cancer symptoms. Because the bladder is responsible for holding urine after it is produced by the kidneys, many symptoms of bladder cancer may relate to urination abnormalities. Understanding when symptoms are a sign of something serious and either diagnosing bladder cancer or confirming a previous diagnosis require expertise …
Can bladder cancer spread to other parts of the body?
When bladder tumors grow larger, or cancer cells spread to other areas of the body, they may cause symptoms including: If bladder cancer has spread, or metastasized, to another part of the body, it may cause symptoms related to that body part. If bladder cancer is suspected, your doctor may recommend tests to determine the cause of the symptoms.
Can you see blood in urine?
Blood in the urine (hematuria): This is typically the first sign of bladder cancer. It may be present on a regular basis or disappear and reappear over the course of days or weeks. Sometimes blood is present in such a small amount that it can’t be seen with the naked eye, called microscopic hematuria, buta urine test may be able to detect it.
What does it mean when your urine turns red?
When blood causes urine’s color to change, it’s called gross hematuria. Early-stage bladder cancer doesn’t usually cause pain or other symptoms besides bleeding. But blood in the urine doesn’t always mean there’s a tumor in the bladder.
Why does blood in urine mean tumors?
But blood in the urine doesn’t always mean there’s a tumor in the bladder. It’s more likely to be caused by a less serious condition, such as an infection. kidney stones, bladder stones, or noncancerous tumors or kidney diseases.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
These symptoms may include. Unexplained pain in the lower back or pelvis. A loss of appetite.
What color is the urine of a person with bladder cancer?
If there is blood in the urine, it may appear dark yellow, bright red or a dark brown color similar to cola.
Can bladder cancer cause cancer?
It’s important to note, however, that some people with bladder cancer may not show some or any of these symptoms, while others might have symptoms that are actually caused by a medical condition other than cancer.