Bladder Cancer

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

The bladder is a hollow organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Bladder cancer occurs in the lining of the bladder. It is the sixth most common type of cancer in the United States.

Symptoms include:

• Blood in your urine
• A frequent urge to urinate
• Pain when you urinate
• Low back pain

Risk factors for developing bladder cancer include smoking and exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace. People with a family history of bladder cancer or who are older, White, or male have a higher risk.

Treatments for bladder cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and biologic therapy. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Bladder Cancer (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• What Is Bladder Cancer? (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• What Is Bladder Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Bladder Cancer Symptoms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bladder Cancer Diagnosis (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Bladder Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Bladder Cancer Stages (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• PDL1 (Immunotherapy) Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Urography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Bladder Cancer Causes and Risk Factors (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Bladder Cancer Risk Factors (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Bladder Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Drugs Approved for Bladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment of Bladder Cancer by Stage (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Coping with Bladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Diversion (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bladder Cancer Prognosis and Survival Rates (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• General Information about Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Bladder cancer: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Advances in Bladder Cancer Research (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer Stat Facts: Bladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ureteral Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urinary Bladder Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Exercise in primary care after robot-assisted radical cystectomy for urinary bladder...
• Article: Standard or Extended Lymphadenectomy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.
• Article: PD-1 blockade plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with small cell/neuroendocrine bladder...
• Bladder Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Childhood Bladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Bladder biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Bladder cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Renal pelvis or ureter cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish