Bladder cancer
What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer most often begins in the cells that line the inside of the bladder.1 In the early stages, cancer cells are only found in the inner lining of the bladder, but as the disease progresses they can spread into or through the muscle layer of the bladder.1,2 This is called muscle invasive bladder cancer.2
Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer, accounting for approximately 90% of cases in the UK.3
There are also rarer types of bladder cancer including:3
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Adenocarcinoma
- Small cell carcinoma
- Sarcoma
Quick Links
Prevalence of bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the UK (2016 – 2018).1 More men than women are diagnosed with the disease, with 73% of cases occurring in males.4
Bladder cancer prevalence5
Signs and symptoms of bladder cancer
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine, 80% of people with bladder cancer experience this. However, there are some other common symptoms to be aware of:6
Bladder cancer symptoms6,7
References
1 Cancer Research UK. What is bladder cancer? Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/about
Last accessed: July 2023
2 Cancer Research UK. Invasive bladder cancer staging. Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/types-stages-grades/invasive
Last accessed: July 2023
3 Cancer Research UK. Bladder cancer types. Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/types-stages-grades/types
Last accessed: July 2023
4 Cancer Research UK. Bladder cancer incidence statistics. Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/bladder-cancer/incidence#heading-Zero
Last accessed: July 2023
5 Cancer Research UK. Bladder cancer statistics. Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/bladder-cancer#heading-Zero
Last Accessed: July 2023
6 Cancer Research UK. Bladder cancer symptoms. Available at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/symptoms
Last accessed: July 2023
7 American Cancer Society. Bladder cancer signs and symptoms. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-and-symptoms.html
Last Accessed: July 2023
8 Cancer Research UK. Treatment options for non muscle invasive bladder cancer. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/treatment/non-muscle-invasive/options
Last Accessed: July 2023
9 Cancer Research UK. Treatment options for muscle invasive bladder cancer. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bladder-cancer/treatment/invasive/decisions
Last Accessed: July 2023
July 2023 | ONC-GB-2200715