Recognizing the Early Signs of Bladder Cancer

"For many patients there may be no symptoms. When the disease does present, the most common symptom is blood in the urine. Occasionally it may cause some symptoms in the way a patient may urinate, frequency of urination, or urgency of urination. Sometimes theres pain or difficulty while urinating. As the disease progresses, we may find additional symptoms. These include abdominal pain, pain in the bones. But these symptoms only reflect very advanced diseases."

"The success of treatments for bladder cancer are highly dependent on what stage the bladder cancer is in. Tumors that are discovered in the early stage, meaning they are just on the surface of the bladder and not invading the wall of the bladder, are highly curable when compared with advanced cases. So catching this disease early is important"

"If someone is concerned they may have symptoms suggestive of bladder cancer, they should see a urologist. The urologist will then do a series of tests at a clinic to help diagnose your symptoms. It's very important for patients to pay attention to the symptoms they may experience. For example, if someone has blood in the urine, they may have the tendency to dismiss that or ignore that. I can't emphasize enough that it's very important for patients with that symptom to be evaluated by a physician. Blood in the urine is never normal and should always be evaluated."