The important symptoms of bladder cancer to remember

Bladder cancer accounts for around 10,000 new diagnoses every year in the UK, making it the 11th most common form of the disease.

Despite this, the symptoms could be mistaken for other, less serious, conditions meaning the disease can go by unnoticed for a while.

Like any cancer, it is important that any potential signs are checked out as soon as possible to ensure swift treatment.

With this in mind, expert Doctor Deborah Lee – from the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy – spoke to Express.co.uk to explain more.

She said: “As with many other cancers, the sooner bladder cancer is detected, the better the prognosis.”

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Dr Lee advised that one of the earliest signs of bladder cancer can be spotted on the toilet.

“The first sign of bladder cancer is usually haematuria – blood in the urine,” she said.

“Eighty percent of bladder cancer patients report blood in their urine.”

She explained what to look for. “Sometimes the urine looks bright red, but on other occasions, blood is only there in tiny amounts that you cannot see with the naked eye, but can be picked up when testing the urine with a dipstick, or seen under the microscope in the laboratory,” Dr Lee said.

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“Usually, haematuria will be painless, unless associated with a urinary tract infection.

“You may see the blood may be there when you start to pee, or it could be mixed in with the urine in the toilet pan.”

She warned that this symptom is often wrongly attributed to a urinary tract infection (UTI), which is a relatively common infection of any part of the urinary tract.

Dr Lee continued: “Unfortunately, bladder cancer can be overlooked and mistaken for a UTI. In a recent 2023 survey, 57 percent of patients were initially diagnosed with a different condition.

“Thirty-nine percent of patients were initially diagnosed with a UTI. In 28 percent of patients, a diagnosis of a UTI led to a delay in their bladder cancer diagnosis.

“Women were twice as likely to be misdiagnosed as men. “

Other symptoms

Dr Lee explained: “Other symptoms may also be present such as frequency – needing to pee often, urgency, the need to pee suddenly and finding it hard to hold it in.

“Dysuria – a burning feeling when you pee – may or may not be a feature. You may find you need to get up to pee several times at night (nocturia) and/or have a weak stream when passing urine.”

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If the disease spreads it can also cause further symptoms.

“As the cancer progresses, it can cause other symptoms such as tiredness and lethargy, lower abdominal pain, back pain, bone pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice and swelling of the feet and legs,” she said.

“If bladder cancer spreads to the lungs it can cause chest pain and breathlessness.”

When to see a doctor

You should see your GP if you have any symptoms suggestive of bladder cancer, Dr Lee advised.

She said: “The majority of people with any of these symptoms will not have bladder cancer – so it’s important to get this into perspective – but if you have symptoms such as blood in your urine – don’t leave it – see your GP without delay.”

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