Bladder cancer - Symptoms of bladder cancer
- Introduction
- Symptoms of bladder cancer
- Causes of bladder cancer
- Diagnosis of bladder cancer
- Treatment for bladder cancer
- Complications of bladder cancer
- Preventing bladder cancer
- Medicine-guides
Blood in your urine is the most common symptom of bladder cancer.
The medical name for this is haematuria and it is usually painless. You may notice streaks of blood in your urine or the blood may turn your urine brown. The blood is not always noticeable and it may come and go.
Less common symptoms of bladder cancer include:
- a need to urinate on a more frequent basis
- sudden urges to urinate
- a burning sensation when passing urine
If bladder cancer reaches an advanced stage and begins to spread, symptoms can include:
- pelvic pain
- bone pain
- unexplained weight loss
- swelling of the legs
When to seek medical advice
If you ever have blood in your urine – even if it comes and goes – you should visit your GP so the cause can be investigated.
Having blood in your urine does not mean that you definitely have bladder cancer, as there are other more common causes. These include a bladder infection such as cystitis, kidney stones or an enlarged prostate gland in men.
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