Written with men in mind. Most of this guide applies to everyone. Details specific to women — such as screening ages and risks that differ — are not covered yet; female health guides are being written.
What it is
Bladder cancer starts in the bladder, the stretchy bag that stores urine. The most common first sign is blood in the urine.[1]
Most bladder cancers start in the cells lining the inside of the bladder (urothelium). A key distinction is whether the cancer has grown into the bladder's muscle wall, which shapes treatment: surgery through a cystoscope for many early cancers, and removal of the bladder for many muscle-invasive ones.[2]
Non-muscle-invasive tumours are typically managed with transurethral resection plus intravesical therapy (chemotherapy or BCG) to reduce recurrence; radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is used for muscle-invasive disease or extensive non-invasive disease, with neoadjuvant or adjuvant systemic therapy.[2]
See the bladder low in the pelvis, with the ureters arriving from the kidneys.
See it in 3DHow common it is
Causes and risk factors
Things you can't change
- A family history of bladder cancer.[4]
- Past pelvic radiation or certain anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide.[4]
- Long-term urinary catheter use or chronic bladder infection with the Schistosoma parasite (rare in the US).[4]
Things you can change
Symptoms worth reporting to a doctor
- Blood in the urine — pink, rusty or bright red; it can come and go
- Needing to urinate often, or getting up at night to urinate
- Discomfort or stinging when urinating
- Feeling you need to go when the bladder is empty
- Later: being unable to urinate, one-sided back pain, bone pain, weight loss
Infections and stones can cause similar symptoms, so see your doctor about any of them.[1]
Get urgent care if…
Screening: who, when and how
There is no routine screening test for bladder cancer in people without symptoms. The key is acting on blood in the urine.[1]
How it's diagnosed
Stages in general terms
In general terms:[6]
- Localised: still where it started.
- Regional: spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes.
- Distant: spread to other parts of the body.
For bladder cancer, doctors also note whether the tumour has grown into the muscle layer of the bladder wall.[2]
An illustration, not a stage. Human Atlas never assigns a stage. Only your own tests and your care team can do that.
Types of treatment
- Transurethral resection. Removing the tumour through a cystoscope.[2]
- Treatment placed in the bladder. Chemotherapy or BCG immunotherapy through a catheter, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.[2]
- Cystectomy. Removing part or all of the bladder, with a new way to store and pass urine when the whole bladder is removed.[2]
- Radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Alone or alongside surgery.[2]
Which option fits depends on the details of each person’s situation. Your care team decides with you.
What you can do
Questions to ask your doctor
- What could be causing the blood in my urine?
- Do I need a cystoscopy?
- Has the cancer grown into the bladder muscle?
- What is the plan for follow-up cystoscopies?
- How would bladder removal change daily life, and what are the options?
Myth vs. fact
Guided lesson
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Follow this topic step by step on the 3D body.
Start chapter 1 freeRelated topics
Enlarged prostate (BPH)
A non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that becomes common with age and can change how you urinate. It's treatable — and not cancer.
Kidney cancer
Often found by chance on a scan done for something else. Smoking, extra weight and high blood pressure raise the risk.
Prostate cancer
Apart from skin cancer, the most common cancer in American men. Many grow slowly; some don't. Here's what it is, who is at risk, and how the PSA decision works.
Understanding cancer: the basics
What cancer is, how screening differs from diagnosis, what 'stage' means, and the main types of treatment — in plain English.
Sources
- National Cancer Institute. Bladder Cancer Symptoms. Checked 24 October 2026.
- National Cancer Institute. Bladder Cancer Treatment (PDQ®) – Patient Version. Checked 23 October 2026.
- American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Bladder Cancer (2026 estimates). Checked 23 October 2026.
- National Cancer Institute. Bladder Cancer Causes and Risk Factors. Checked 24 October 2026.
- NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Prostate Enlargement (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). Checked 23 October 2026.
- National Cancer Institute. Cancer Staging. Checked 23 October 2026.
The owner of this website is not a doctor. Human Atlas provides educational anatomy information and does not diagnose, stage, or treat disease. Talk to a qualified clinician about anything concerning your own health.