Bladder Cancer Symptoms

Bladder cancer is a slow-growing cancer whose most common symptom is microscopic blood in the urine. Symptoms often resemble those of other conditions, such as kidney cancer, bladder stones or infections. While the incidence of the cancer has increased in recent years, the actual death rate has dropped during the past two decades.

The Facts

• According to the American Cancer Society, bladder cancer is diagnosed in more than 70,000 Americans each year and causes about 14,000 deaths annually. Males have a 1 in 27 chance and females a 1 in 84 chance of developing the cancer during their lifetime. About 90 percent of those diagnosed with bladder cancer are over 55 years old.

Significance

• Recognizing the symptoms of bladder cancer is important for a favorable prognosis. The 5-year death rate is less than 5 percent for tumors isolated to the bladder's inner surface.

Primary Symptom

• Hematuria, or blood in the urine, is the most common symptom. Hematuria takes two forms: blood that can be visibly seen in urine or blood that can be seen only under a microscope. This occurs because the tumor sheds abnormal cells into urine.

Other Symptoms

• Urgency to urinate or painful and frequent urination may be caused by increased sensitivity and irritability of the bladder to the cancer cells. Constant urinary tract infections may also be symptomatic of the cancer.

Warnings

• Flank pain, a pelvic mass near the bladder and inflammation in the lower legs are symptoms associated with advanced bladder cancer. Rapid weight loss; pain in the bones, rectum or anal areas; and anemia are indicative of metastasis, or cancer spread to other parts of the body.

Considerations

• These symptoms may indicate other conditions besides cancer. It is imperative to get checked them out when they do occur.