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Bladder cancer - Symptom

Alternative Names

Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder; Urothelial cancer

Symptoms:

Symptoms of bladder cancer can include:

Note: Other diseases and conditions can cause similiar symptoms. It is important to see a doctor to rule out all other possible causes.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform a physical examination, including a rectal and pelvic exam.

Tests that may be done include:

If tests confirm you have bladder cancer, additional tests will be done to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging. Staging helps guide future treatment and follow-up and gives you some idea of what to expect in the future.

The TNM (Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis) staging system categorizes bladder cancer using the following scale:

  • Stage 0 -- Noninvasive tumors that are only in the bladder lining
  • Stage I -- Tumor goes through the bladder lining, but does not reach the muscle layer of the bladder
  • Stage II -- Tumor goes into the muscle layer of the bladder
  • Stage III -- Tumor goes past the muscle layer into tissue surrounding the bladder
  • Stage IV -- Tumor has spread to neighboring lymph nodes or to distant sites (metastatic disease)

Bladder cancer can spread into nearby areas, including the:

  • Prostate
  • Rectum
  • Ureters
  • Uterus
  • Vagina

It can also spread to lymph nodes in the pelvis, or to other parts of the body, such as:

  • Bones
  • Liver
  • Lungs
  • Reviewed last on: 3/20/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Bajorin D. Tumors of the kidney, bladder, ureters, and renal pelvis. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia , Pa : Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 207.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Bladder Cancer, Including Upper Tract Tumors and Urothelial Carcinoma of the Prostate. 2011. Version 2.2011.

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