What are the symptoms of bladder cancer ?
At its onset, bladder cancer may not cause any abnormal symptoms.
Later on, the main symptom observed in over 80% of patients is the presence of blood in the urine (hematuria), especially at the end of urination.
This hematuria can be visible to the naked eye (macroscopic) or only detectable under a microscope (microscopic). A study showed that 22.4% of patients with macroscopic hematuria had bladder cancer, whereas two other studies found that 3 to 5% of patients with microscopic hematuria had bladder cancer1.
Even if it is not accompanied by any other symptoms, the presence of hematuria requires medical evaluation.
Other symptoms that may appear include those related to bladder irritation, such as frequent urination (pollakiuria), urgency, pain, or difficulty during urination. However, these symptoms can also be associated with a urinary infection (cystitis).
In men over 50, these same symptoms can also be attributed to an enlarged prostate, which is common with age. Regardless of the situation, these symptoms should be investigated to establish an accurate diagnosis.
If bladder cancer progresses to affect other organs, it may cause new symptoms such as weight loss, decreased strength, abnormal fatigue (asthenia), or an abnormal drop in hemoglobin or red blood cell count (anemia).
Advanced cancer may lead to renal insufficiency due to obstruction of the urinary canals (ureters). When it causes distant metastases, bladder cancer can lead to symptoms such as bone pain in the case of bone metastases or water retention (edema) in the legs if lymph nodes are affected.
1 Dyrskjøt, L. et al. Bladder cancer. Nat Rev Dis Primers 9, 58 (2023).
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Article updated on Jan 20, 2025
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