Bladder Cancer
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Bladder Cancer Signs and Symptoms
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
 Cancer of the urinary bladder develops in over 61,000 Americans each year, leading to over 13,000 deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, the chance of a man developing this cancer at any time during his life is about 1 in 30; for a woman, the chance is 1 in 90. Since bladder cancer that is detected in the early stages has a good chance of cure, awareness of the signs and symptoms of this malignancy are critical. Anyone experiencing the signs or symptoms of bladder cancer should be checked by a urologist, who can perform tests to diagnose bladder cancer even in its early stages.
Men are about three times more likely than women to develop bladder cancer, and older people are more likely to be affected. Up to 90% of those affected are over the age of 55. Exposure to certain chemicals used in manufacturing and industry (including paints and paint thinners, some hairdressing supplies, and certain dyes) are associated with a higher risk of bladder cancer. Smokers are also at an increased risk for development of bladder cancer.
Signs and symptoms of bladder cancer include:
- Blood in the urine. This is the most common symptom of bladder cancer and occurs in the vast majority of people with bladder cancer. Having blood in the urine does not necessarily mean a person has cancer, since other conditions (including infections) can lead to bloody urine, but blood in the urine is never normal and should always be evaluated by a doctor.
- Urinary urgency or pain on urination.
- Back or abdominal pain.
- Loss of appetite and weight.
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The bladder
The bladder is a hollow
organ in the lower abdomen. It stores urine, the liquid
waste produced by the kidneys. Urine passes from each kidney into the bladder
through a tube called a ureter.
An outer layer of muscle surrounds the inner lining of the bladder. When the
bladder is full, the muscles in the bladder wall can tighten to allow urination.
Urine leaves the bladder through another tube, the urethra.
Understanding bladder
cancer
Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, the
body's basic unit of life. Cells make up tissues, and tissues make up the organs
of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them.
When cells grow old and die, new cells take their place.
Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells
form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they
should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign tumors are not
cancer. Usually, doctors can remove them. Cells from benign tumors do not
spread to other parts of the body. In most cases, benign tumors do not come
back after they are removed. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat
to life.
- Malignant tumors are cancer. They are generally more serious. Cancer cells
can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Also, cancer cells can break
away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.
That is how cancer cells spread from the original (primary) tumor to form new
tumors in other organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
The wall of the bladder is lined with cells called transitional cells and
squamous cells. More
than 90 percent of bladder cancers begin in the transitional cells. This type of
bladder cancer is called transitional cell carcinoma. About 8 percent of bladder cancer patients have squamous cell
carcinomas.
Cancer that is only in cells in the lining of the
bladder is called superficial bladder cancer. The doctor might call it carcinoma in situ. This
type of bladder cancer often comes back after treatment. If this happens, the
disease most often recurs as another superficial cancer in the bladder.
Cancer that begins as a superficial tumor may grow
through the lining and into the muscular wall of the bladder. This is known as invasive cancer.
Invasive cancer may extend through the bladder wall. It may grow into a nearby
organ such as the uterus or vagina (in women) or the prostate gland (in men). It
also may invade the wall of the abdomen.
When bladder cancer spreads outside the bladder, cancer
cells are often found in nearby lymph nodes. If the cancer has reached these nodes, cancer cells may
have spread to other lymph nodes or other organs, such as the lungs, liver, or
bones.
When cancer spreads (metastasizes) from its original
place to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal
cells and the same name as
the primary tumor. For example, if bladder cancer spreads to the lungs, the
cancer cells in the lungs are actually bladder cancer cells. The disease is
metastatic bladder cancer, not lung cancer. It is treated as bladder cancer, not
as lung cancer. Doctors sometimes call the new tumor "distant" disease.
Next: What are the risk factors for bladder cancer? »
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