Bladder Cancer Symptoms: When Should I See a Doctor?

Detecting cancer early allows for quicker treatment and, hopefully, a better prognosis. With cancer, there are often early warning signs that the disease is beginning to affect a patient’s body. With bladder cancer, many symptoms could indicate other conditions, such as infection, kidney stones, or kidney disease.

With this in mind, here are the early warning signs of bladder cancer and when you may want to seek care.

There are five signs of bladder cancer:

Blood in urine

Blood in urine, or hematuria, is the most common early sign of bladder cancer. “The urine may appear bright red or cola-colored,” said Neil Haldar, MBBS, MD, FRCS, a consultant urological surgeon. “Sometimes, blood in urine may not be visible and may only be detected during a routine urine test.”

Frequent urge to urinate

Also known as overactive bladder, the frequent and sudden urge to urinate can be uncontrollable for many patients. This is an uncommon sign of bladder cancer can make you feel the urge to urinate several times during the day.

Difficulty urinating

With bladder cancer, another symptom is difficulty urinating. You may have challenges when using the bathroom, such as not being able to urinate or having trouble emptying your bladder (urinary retention). Such symptoms are usually uncommon.

Painful urination

Pain while urinating is known as dysuria. You may feel a burning or stinging sensation as you begin to pee or after you pee. Men can experience pain in their penises before or after urination. “Urination might be painful and bloody because of kidney and urethral involvement,” – which are signs of advanced bladder cancer,- said Danielle Leonardo, MD, a board-certified internal medicine specialist, oncologist, and writer at My BC Team.

Nighttime urination

Nighttime urination, or nocturia, is when you wake up several times to pee. This condition differs from frequent urination, referring to multiple daily bathroom trips. Nocturia occurs after bedtime and before waking up in the morning. One reason for nocturia is bladder obstruction, which some patients with bladder cancer may experience.

Remember, these symptoms of bladder cancer can also be signals of other issues. Overall, hematuria is rather common in case of bladder cancer, while the other issues are rarer and might be due to other underlying conditions. Visit your doctor for an official diagnosis to determine whether you have bladder cancer or another health condition.

In many cases, early bladder cancer is painless. “The patient might simply just notice a reddish urine with or without occasional lower abdominal pain,” said Dr. Leonardo. “There are no obvious masses in most cases, since the tumor is in the inner lining of the bladder.”

Although bladder cancer is more commonly diagnosed in men, women typically are in the advanced stages at diagnosis and have a worse prognosis. This is a result of delayed diagnosis and treatment for women with bladder cancer.

According to Dr. Haldar, symptoms are another difference between bladder cancer in men and women. “For example, women may be more likely to experience pain during urination,” he said. “Moreover, due to the proximity of the bladder to the reproductive organs in women, advanced bladder cancer might affect those organs, leading to symptoms like abnormal vaginal bleeding.”

Men with bladder cancer may experience more complications with their prostate in case of locally advanced disease. “Men, on the other hand, may experience symptoms related to prostate involvement, like difficulty urinating or ejaculatory discomfort if the cancer has spread to the prostate,” said Dr. Haldar.

Advanced bladder cancer symptoms can be more intense because cancer has metastasized or traveled to other parts of the body from the initial affected area.

Advanced bladder cancer symptoms are:

Inability to urinate

When bladder cancer spreads, you may lose the ability to urinate. Urinary retention can range from acute (a sudden inability to pee) to chronic (where you experience recurring difficulties completely emptying the bladder).

Lower back pain

According to Dr. Leonardo, many patients with bladder cancer experience back pain “due to compression of the nerves.” Patients can experience lower back pain on one side of the body because that’s where the cancer cells have spread or grown substantially.

Loss of appetite and weight loss

Other signs of advanced bladder cancer are loss of appetite and weight loss. You might lose weight without effort and lose interest in eating.

Fatigue

You may experience extreme episodes of fatigue with advanced bladder cancer. “As the cancer progresses, patients may begin to feel pain in other areas of their abdomen or lower body, as well as extreme fatigue,” said Garvit Chitkara, MBBS, DNB, a breast oncosurgeon at Nanavati Max Institute of Cancer, Mumbai, India.

Bone pain

One of the biggest indicators that bladder cancer has moved into advanced stages is bone pain. This pain can last throughout the day and can cause sleep disturbances, as it can wake you up at night. It can feel like a dull ache or stabbing pain. Over time, bone pain can weaken your bones, which may lead to fractures.

Swelling

Another sign that your bladder cancer has spread to other areas of your body is swelling. Cancer cells may cause swelling and pain in the affected area because they stop lymph node drainage, known as lymphedema.

Getting diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer can cause a roller coaster of emotions. You may have concerns about your treatment and the prognosis.

Finding ways to cope with this life-changing health condition is important during these difficult times.

Below are two tips for coping with advanced bladder cancer:

Seek medical care

After receiving a diagnosis, it’s important to have open communication with your healthcare team whenever symptoms arise or if you have concerns about your care. “Patients should seek medical assistance for these symptoms immediately, and look for ways to manage them with their doctor, said Dr. Chitkara. “These include lifestyle changes such as reducing stress levels and finding ways to cope with emotional distress associated with the condition.”

Get palliative care

Aside from your healthcare team and loved ones, you may require additional support during your cancer journey. One way to get more help is with palliative care. Palliative care is medical care for patients with serious diseases like cancer. It can involve medical care and other treatments to improve a patient’s quality of life. “Patients should be offered palliative care where pain, nutrition, and other psychological aspects of cancer care will be addressed,” said Dr. Leonardo.

If you suspect you have early symptoms of bladder cancer, seek help immediately. “If patients experience early signs of bladder cancer, such as hematuria or pain while urinating, they should see a doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Chitkara. “Treatment is most successful when bladder cancer is detected in its early stages.”