Bladder Cancer: Ways to Detect A Serious Problem

Pain While Urinating And Frequent Urge To Urinate

Dysuria, or painful urination, is an early warning sign of bladder cancer. It may occur when tumors or other growths cause pressure that pushes on the individual's bladder, resulting in pain. Regardless of their size, tumors can cause a burning sensation or radiating pain while individuals are urinating. Pain can also occur as a result of changes in the bladder due to the growth of abnormal cells.

Patients may also experience a frequent urge to urinate A constant urge to urinate but only releasing a small amount of urine each time is a symptom of bladder cancer. Urinating more often than usual can be a sign of many health problems, including urinary tract infections or menopause. But if cancer is present, the urge will not go away as the tumor or abnormal cells inside the bladder may be applying constant pressure. Those who experience a frequent urge to urinate along with bladder pain should seek immediate treatment.

Hematuria

Hematuria or blood present in the urine is usually the first indication of bladder cancer. Depending on the amount of blood present in the urine, the color may range from pink or orange to dark red. In some cases, the color may be normal to the naked eye, but a urinalysis is able to detect smaller amounts of blood. Blood in the urine that is able to be seen by the naked eye is called gross hematuria, while blood in the urine detected only by urinalysis is called microscopic hematuria. Hematuria as a symptom of bladder cancer is an intermittent occurrence that happens one day but maybe not the next.

It is possible for there to be no blood in the urine for weeks in an individual with bladder cancer, but the blood always returns at some point. Blood appears in the urine in individuals who have bladder cancer because most forms of bladder cancer originate in the cells that line the bladder in the form of squamous cell carcinoma and sarcomas. The invasion of rapidly multiplying cancer cells into the inner tissues of the bladder causes cellular damage, including damage to cells that make up blood vessels. When these cells become damaged, blood leaks out into the bladder and mixes with the urine.