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Bladder Cancer Basics

Key points

  • To lower the risk of bladder cancer, don’t smoke and be especially careful around certain kinds of chemicals.
  • Blood in the urine is the most common symptom.
Medical illustration of the bladder

Overview

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the bladder, it is called bladder cancer.

The bladder (sometimes called the urinary bladder) is a balloon-shaped organ in your lower abdomen, near the pelvis. It stores urine from the kidneys until it is passed out of the body.

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Diagrams of the male and female urinary systems
Anatomy of the male urinary system (left panel) and female urinary system (right panel). The two-panel drawing shows the right and left kidneys, the ureters, the bladder filled with urine, and the urethra. The inside of the left kidney shows the renal pelvis. An inset shows the renal tubules and urine. Also shown are the prostate and penis (left panel) and the uterus (right panel).
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SOURCE:

Illustration © 2010 Terese Winslow LLC. US government has certain rights. Used with permission. Contact artist at www.teresewinslow.com for licensing.

Symptoms

  • Blood in the urine. This is the most common symptom.
  • Having to urinate often.
  • Pain while urinating.
  • Back pain.
  • Pelvic pain.

These symptoms can also come from other conditions. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor, which is the only way to find out what may be causing them.

Risk factors

Smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer. Other risk factors include:

  • Having a family history of bladder cancer.
  • Having certain gene mutations (unusual changes made when your body's cells are dividing).
  • Being exposed to too much of certain workplace chemicals used in processing paint, dye, metal, and petroleum products.
  • Taking some kinds of chemotherapy drugs.
  • Drinking well water contaminated with arsenic.
  • Taking the Chinese herb Aristolochia fangchi.
  • Having chronic urinary tract infections (including those caused by Schistosoma haematobium).

Reducing risk

To lower the risk of bladder cancer, don’t smoke (and if you do, quit) and be especially careful around certain kinds of chemicals.

Statistics

The Data Visualizations tool makes it easy for anyone to explore and use the latest official federal government cancer data from United States Cancer Statistics. It includes the latest cancer data covering the US population.

  • Cancer Statistics At a Glance: See rates or numbers of new bladder cancers or bladder cancer deaths for the entire United States and individual states. Also, see the top 10 cancers for men and women.
  • Cancers by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity: See rates or numbers of new bladder cancers or bladder cancer deaths by race and ethnicity, sex, and age group.
  • Trends: See how the rates of new bladder cancers or bladder cancer deaths changed over time for the entire United States and individual states.

Resources

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Division of Cancer Prevention and Control