Bladder Cancer

What is bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer is due to the abnormal growth of the cells lining the bladder. Urothelial carcinoma (also known as transitional cell carcinoma) is the most common type of bladder cancer. Other rarer cancers that can arise in the bladder are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Around 3,000 Australians are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. It is more common in men and people aged over the age of 60. By far, the biggest cause of bladder cancer is smoking. Even after quitting smoking, the increased risk of bladder cancer persists for decades.

What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?

The most common sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (haematuria). Blood in the urine is never normal and needs further tests to rule out bladder cancer.

Other less common symptoms of bladder cancer include:

• Urinary urgency (having to run to the toilet).
• Urinary frequency (having to go to the toilet more often than normal).
• Recurrent urinary tract infections.
• Pain in the lower abdomen.
• A burning feeling when passing urine.

How is bladder cancer treated?

The treatment of bladder cancer depends on two factors:

1. How aggressive the tumour cells look (classified as low-grade or high-grade).
2. How far the tumour has infiltrated or spread (classified as superficial, locally invasive or having spread).

Fortunately, most bladder cancers are superficial and confined to the bladder at diagnosis. These tumours can be removed using a telescope through the urethra. This is called a transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). If the cancer cells look aggressive, chemotherapy or other substances can be flushed into the bladder to help kill off any remaining cancer cells. These are intravesical therapies.

If bladder cancer has invaded or spread, more aggressive treatments like surgery to remove the bladder, radiotherapy or chemotherapy might be needed. A urologist and oncologist will discuss these options with you.

All bladder cancers have a chance to come back, and close monitoring of the bladder is needed. This is usually done with regular check-up cystoscopies for at least five years.