The symptoms of bladder cancer appear in the later stages of the disease and in some cases they are similar to other bladder conditions. The signs and symptoms of bladder cancer can be different for everyone, which are as follows-

• Blood ( excessive ) or clots of blood in the urine
• Painful and burning sensation while urinating
• Frequent and uncontrolled urge to urinate
• Urge to urinate more frequently at night
• Pain in abdomen and lower back ( generally on one side )
• Having the urge to urinate but not able to pass urine

Patient must contact the doctor in cases when the symptoms become severe, which are-

• Gross hematuria- Excessive blood in urine
• Frequent urgency to urinate and also the rate of urination increase
• Painful urination and the pain becomes severe, continues for longer durations 
• Excessive lower abdomen pain, lower back pain which does not resolve with pain killers

Urinary Bladder Cancer can be diagnosed by -

1. Urine Test

2. Cystoscopy

3. Intranerve Urogram

4. Biopsy/ Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)

5. Imaging tests- CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, Ultrasound, Bone scans, Chest Xrays

Surgery- The surgery for Urinary Bladder Cancer is known as Trans-urethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). It is a procedure to remove the Non-muscle invasive cancers which are limited to the linings of the bladder only. In TURBT, a cystoscope is passed through the bladder which is a small wire loop. An electric current is passed through the loop in order to kill the cancer cells.

Cystectomy is a surgery to remove the bladder or a part of it. There are several types of cystectomy such as partial cystectomy, in which only a specific part of the bladder is removed which contains the tumor. A radical cystectomy involves the removal of the whole bladder.

Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy or Biological Therapy may also be done along with TURBT in order to destroy all cancer cells that may have remained even after the passage of electric current.

Immunotherapy

Targeted Therapy

There are several risks involved in Urinary Bladder Cancer Treatment surgeries such as- 

• leaking urine ( unable to hold urine )
• difficulty to empty bladder 
• frequent UTI episodes that cause- cloudy urine, fever ( high grade), chills, fatigue.
• severe lower abdomen pain, back pain
• bladder spasm, cramps, discomfort in pelvic area
• urine leakage upon sneezing or coughing
• frequent urination urge
• blood in urine 
• painful and burning sensation while urinating

The follow up steps to be followed after Urinary Bladder treatment are-

• Take all the prescribed medications on time. Report if any medicine causes any side effects. Take the vitamins and herbs medicines on time.
• Stop smoking 
• Workplace must be made safer, i.e. prevent any further chemical or fumes exposures. 
• Rest well, sleep at least 6-8 hours each night adequately.
• Follow a balanced diet chart, take more fruits, green vegetables, vitamins, etc.
• Avoid caffeine in coffee, tea, sports drinks as it makes the person urinate more.
• Take 6-8 glasses of water daily, take juices and milk.