Read article Bladder cancer symptoms
This page tells you about the symptoms of bladder cancer. You can find information about
Bladder cancer symptoms
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. Doctors call blood in the urine haematuria. The bleeding is not usually painful. The blood may not be there all the time. It can come and go. If you ever see blood in your urine, it is important to see your doctor.
Sometimes the amounts of blood are so small that you cannot see them. Even if it can’t be seen, blood can be picked up in a urine test.
Other symptoms
There can be other symptoms of bladder cancer. These are
- Needing to pass urine very often
- Needing to pass urine very suddenly
- Pain when passing urine
With these symptoms you are much more likely to have a urinary infection, not cancer. But it is important to tell your doctor about them straight away.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About bladder cancer section.
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. 4 out of 5 people with bladder cancer have some blood in their urine. You may actually see the blood. It usually looks bright red but, rarely, may be dark brown. Or it might be there in such small amounts that you can't see it. Even if it cannot be seen, a urine test will show if blood is present. Doctors call blood in the urine haematuria.
The blood may not be there all the time. It can come and go. So if you ever see blood in your urine, you should go to see your GP.
The bleeding is not usually painful. But it can help your doctor to diagnose you if you can say whether you had any pain when you passed the urine with the blood in it. It can also help if you know whether there is blood only when you start to pass urine or whether the blood is mixed with all the urine you pass.
There can be other symptoms of bladder cancer. These are
- Frequency, which means needing to pass urine very often
- Urgency, which means needing to pass urine very suddenly
- Pain when passing urine
If you have these symptoms you will not necessarily have cancer. You are more likely to have a urine infection, particularly if you do not have blood in your urine. If you are a man the symptoms could be caused by an enlarged prostate gland. But you should always tell your doctor straight away if you have these symptoms. If you have an infection, then it can usually be cleared up with antibiotics very quickly. If it is cancer, then the sooner it is diagnosed, the easier it will be to treat.
In 2005, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced guidelines for GPs to help them decide which patients need to be seen urgently by a specialist. These guidelines on referrals for bladder cancer are available on the NICE website.
The earlier a cancer is picked up, the easier it is to treat it and the more likely the treatment is to be successful. So it is important that you go to your GP as soon as possible if you notice worrying symptoms.
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