See your healthcare provider for a properdiagnosisearly detection is key to curing the disease.
It’s important to understand that the early signs and symptoms ofbladder cancerare often intermittent and not severe.
In fact, blood can be present and then disappear only to reappear days or weeks later.
Verywell
In bladder cancer, blood is typically present throughout the urination process.
This is a subtle clue that something may be wrong, but not a hard and fast rule.
However, sometimes blood in the urine is not visible to the naked eye.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
It is important to understand that having blood in your urine does not necessarily mean you have bladder cancer.
And, for most, the cause is not cancer.
It is important to see your healthcare provider and/orurologistif you have blood in your urine.
Again, early detection is vital.
Regardless, get it checked out.
In general, obstructive symptoms are less common than irritative symptoms in bladder cancer.
And, depending on where the bladder cancer has spread, you may develop symptoms specific to that area.
In advanced cases of bladder cancer, a mass in the pelvis may be felt.
Also, an abnormal feelingprostate glandmay occur if the bladder cancer has spread to the prostate.
You may be surprised to learn that there is currently no standard screening test for bladder cancer.
This could include someone who has had a prolongedchemical exposureor someone with certain birth defects of the bladder.
It is also important to remember that screening is different from surveillance.
Surveillance means that a person hasalready been diagnosedwith bladder cancer and is now beingmonitored.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
However, research on bladder cancer screening and detection is evolving.
The most common include:
The first sign of bladder cancer is oftenhematuria(blood in urine).
This can occur without other symptoms and may be present one day and absent the next.
Advanced bladder cancer is characterized by worsening urinary problems along with systemic symptoms affecting the body as a whole.
The same applies to pelvic pain, which females will sometimes attribute topremenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Many of the signs of bladder cancer andkidney cancerare the same.
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UpToDate, Lerner SP (Ed), Waltham, MA.
