Symptoms
The most common sign of bladder cancer is blood in the urine (haematuria), which is often painless and may come and go. Blood clots may form and cause pain or obstruction to the flow of urine. Other symptoms may include a burning sensation when passing urine and a need to pass urine frequently.
If you notice blood in your urine, visit your doctor as soon as possible, however, blood in the urine is more commonly due to other problems, such as infection or urinary stones, than bladder cancer.
Diagnosis
If bladder problems are suspected, your urine can be tested with a "dipstick" to look for blood, infection and other parameters. If the result is positive for the presence of blood then further tests can be undertaken, including x-rays, scans and cystoscopy. A cystoscopy uses a thin flexible telescope (a cystoscope) with a light and lens on the end, which is passed into the bladder through the urethra. A local anaesthetic is used to help reduce any discomfort. If an abnormality is seen in the bladder, you may be asked to return for a further cystoscopy, probably using a rigid cystoscope. This allows for a small surgical instrument to be passed into the bladder so that tissue samples (biopsies) can be taken and, if necessary, abnormalities removed. A general anesthetic is used for rigid cystoscopy.
