Symptoms of bladder cancer
The main 
of bladder cancer is blood in your urine. This is the same for both men and women.
Bladder cancer symptoms to look out for:
- blood in the urine
- problems passing urine
- bone, lower back or tummy pain
- feeling tired
- weight loss for no reason
If you have any of these symptoms you must get them checked by your GP. But remember, they can all be caused by other conditions. Most people with these symptoms don’t have bladder cancer.
Blood in the urine
Blood in the urine is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. 80 out of 100 people with bladder cancer (80%) have some blood in their urine. Doctors call blood in the urine haematuria (pronounced heem-at-you-ree-ah).
You may see the blood in your urine. It usually looks bright red. Rarely, it may look dark brown. Sometimes the blood is there in such small amounts that you can't see it. But a urine test will pick it up.
The blood may not be there all the time. It can come and go. The bleeding is not usually painful. But if you ever see blood in your urine, you should go to your GP.
It can help if you tell your GP whether:
- there is blood only when you start to pee
- the blood is mixed with all the urine you pass
- you had any pain when you passed the urine with blood in it
Problems passing urine
Other urine problems with bladder cancer can include:
- passing urine very often (frequency)
- passing urine very suddenly (urgency)
- pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
These symptoms are much more likely to be caused by other conditions rather than cancer. For example a urine infection, particularly if you do not have blood in your urine. For men, the symptoms could be caused by an enlarged .
Tell your doctor straight away if you have these symptoms. If you have an infection, it can usually be treated quickly with . And it is always best to check for cancer as early as possible so that it can be diagnosed while it is easier to treat.
Other symptoms
You might have other symptoms if bladder cancer is or has spread to other parts of the body (advanced bladder cancer). These include:
- weight loss for no reason
- pain in your back, lower tummy or bones
- feeling tired and unwell
