Bladder Cancer (Print Version)

The bladder is a hollow organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Bladder cancer occurs in the lining of the bladder. It is the sixth most common type of cancer in the United States.

Symptoms include

Blood in your urine
A frequent urge to urinate
Pain when you urinate
Low back pain

Smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer. Exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace is another. People with a family history of bladder cancer or who are older, white or male have a higher risk.

Treatments for bladder cancer include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and biologic therapy. Biologic therapy, or immunotherapy, boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.

National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Bladder Cancer Risk Questionnaire(Siteman Cancer Center) - http://www.yourdiseaserisk.siteman.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=english&func=start&quiz=bladder
Also available in Spanish http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=spanish&func=start&quiz=bladder
What You Need to Know about Bladder Cancer(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/bladder/

Overviews

Bladder Cancer(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bladder-cancer/DS00177/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
Detailed Guide: Bladder Cancer(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?rnav=cridg&dt=44
JAMA Patient Page: Bladder Cancer(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/293/7/890.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/293/7/890/DC1/1

Latest News

Nighttime Urination May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk(10/02/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69958.html

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Blood in Urine (Hematuria)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/blood-in-urine/DS01013/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Cystoscopy - Men(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopymale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopymalespanish/htm/index.htm
Cystoscopy - Women(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopyfemale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopyfemalespanish/htm/index.htm
Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/cystoscopy/
Hematuria (Blood in the Urine)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/hematuria/
Intravenous Pyelogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ivp/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ivpspanish/htm/index.htm
Radiography-Intravenous Pyelogram(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ivp
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=ivp
Urinary Bladder Adenocarcinoma(College of American Pathologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/reference/myBiopsy/BladderAdenocarcinoma.pdf
Urinary Bladder Urothelial (Transitional) Cell Carcinoma(College of American Pathologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/reference/myBiopsy/BladderUrothelial.pdf

Treatment

Bladder Cancer (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/bladder/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/vejiga/patient/
Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/transitionalcell/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/celulas-de-transicion/patient/
Urethral Cancer (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/urethral/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/uretra/patient/

Prevention/Screening

Bladder and Other Urothelial Cancers (PDQ): Screening(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/bladder/patient/

Related Issues

Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners
Urostomy and Continent Urinary Diversion(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/urostomy/

Health Check Tools

Bladder Cancer Risk Questionnaire(Siteman Cancer Center) - http://www.yourdiseaserisk.siteman.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=english&func=start&quiz=bladder
Also available in Spanish http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=spanish&func=start&quiz=bladder

Tutorials

Cystoscopy - Men(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopymale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopymalespanish/htm/index.htm
Cystoscopy - Women(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopyfemale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopyfemalespanish/htm/index.htm
Intravenous Pyelogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ivp/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ivpspanish/htm/index.htm

Anatomy/Physiology

Bladder Cancer - Anatomical Drawings(American Urological Association) - http://urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=03&topic=37&drawings=yes
Your Urinary System and How It Works(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yoururinary/

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Ureteral Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Ureteral+Neoplasms%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Urethral+Neoplasms%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Urinary Bladder Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Urinary+Bladder+Neoplasms%22

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: Bladder cancer(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=bladdercancer

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Minilaparotomy radical cystoprostatectomy (Minilap RCP) in the surgical management of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18772171&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: The duration of intrathecal bupivacaine mixed with lidocaine. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18713891&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Review. Non-papillary urothelial lesions of the urinary bladder: morphological classification... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18712178&tool=MedlinePlus
Bladder Cancer -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=urinary+bladder+neoplasms[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Dictionary of Cancer Terms(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
Urologic Diseases Dictionary(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/udictionary/

Directories

Directory of Kidney and Urologic Diseases Organizations(National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/resources/organizations.htm
Find a Urologist(American Urological Association) - http://urologyhealth.org/find_urologist/

Organizations

American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/

Statistics

Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of the Urinary Bladder(National Cancer Institute) - http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Bladder Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bladderdiseases.html
Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
Kidneys and Urinary System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kidneysandurinarysystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Bladder Cancer is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/