Practical Practitioner
By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE
Blood in urine may be a sign of bladder cancer
Dear Pam,
I’ve been told that I have blood in my urine. Should I be concerned?
The fist warning sign of bladder cancer is usually blood in the urine (hematuria), however, it often doesn’t produce signs or symptoms in its early stages. The blood may show up on a urine test or your urine may appear reddish or darker than normal. It would be important to repeat your urine test in three to four weeks. If hematuria is still present, a urological evaluation would be indicated.
Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the United States. About 53,200 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer and 12,200 die annually from the disease. Bladder cancer is more common among whites and men and usually occurs among people in their 60s.
In recent decades there has been a steady increase in the incidence of bladder cancer. However, doctors are making progress in treatment, and survival rates are improving. If it’s caught early, you have a good chance of beating the disease.
Signs and symptoms of bladder cancer may include: blood in your urine, pelvic pain, having to urinate more often, feeling like you need to urinate but can’t and slowing of urinary stream. These symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have bladder cancer.
More common conditions including a urinary tract infection, kidney disease, kidney or bladder stones or prostate problems can produce similar symptoms.
What are the risk factors for bladder cancer?
Some cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke can collect in your urine, where they damage the lining of your bladder.
Repeated exposure to chemicals used by dyes, rubber, leather, textiles and paint products may increase your risk of developing bladder cancer years later.
Chronic or repeated urinary infections or inflammation may increase your risk for a certain form of bladder cancer.
Procedures to diagnose bladder cancer include urine test, kidney x-ray (IVP) and cystoscopy. Treatments include immunotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
It is important to follow-up on signs of hematuria. Cancer that’s limited to just the inner lining of your bladder, called superficial cancer, is the easiest to treat. Survival rate is greater than 90 percent with this form of cancer. Treatment becomes more difficult and the survival rate decreases if the cancer has spread beyond the bladder’s inner lining.
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