Bladder Cancer
Your bladder holds the urine produced by your body until you are ready to urinate. There are three different types of , each named after one of the types of cells that make up your bladder.
Urothelial carcinoma—the most common type of bladder cancer, found in the cells that line the inside of your bladder.
Squamous cell carcinoma—this type of cancer often forms due to long-term bladder inflammation or irritation.
Adenocarcinoma—found in the cells that make up your glands.
Bladder cancer is also typically classified into either superficial bladder cancer (found in the lining of the bladder) or invasive cancer (which has spread further).
Click here to download our bladder cancer information sheet.
More than three times as many men get bladder cancer, compared with women. However, bladder cancer is often more advanced in women by the time it is diagnosed. Smokers are also at higher of getting bladder cancer. Click for information on how to for bladder cancer.
Signs and Symptoms
Unfortunately, many people who get bladder cancer do not have any noticeable until the disease is advanced (and therefore less curable). If you are at high risk for getting bladder cancer, talk with your physician about early tests.
The most common signs of bladder cancer include:
- Blood in the urine, also called hematuria (you may not be able to see a noticeable difference in color; your doctor can use a laboratory test to see if blood is present)
- A burning sensation when you urinate (may also be caused by a urinary tract infection)
- Feeling a strong urge to urinate, but only urinating a small amount
- Urinating more frequently than usual
Screening and Diagnosis
Bladder cancer may be diagnosed through a biopsy during cystoscopy (in which your physician examines the inside of your bladder through a medical scope). We then use laboratory tests and imaging studies (including imaging the kidneys) to evaluate the extent of the disease.
Treatment Options
Superficial Bladder Cancer—The tumor is surgically removed, using a procedure called a TransUrethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT).
Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer—There are two ways to treat muscle invasive bladder cancer:
- Surgery—A urologist will remove your bladder and nearby lymph nodes. The urine will drain into a bag attached to your abdomen.
- External Beam Radiation—A urologist will first remove as much of the tumor as possible using a TURBT procedure (described above). Then, radiation will be delivered for 15 minutes every day for approximately 7 weeks. At Cancer Care of Western New York, we are committed to providing the latest in radiation treatment technology.
We believe that having state-of-the-art equipment 
makes a real difference in the quality of care we provide to all of our patients. These external beam radiation treatments are fast, safe, and do not make you radioactive?it is fine for family members and friends to be around you. Chemotherapy will also be delivered periodically throughout your course of radiation.
As part of your treatment plan, you may have already met some of the specialists at Western New York Urology Associates?a leading group of urologists who can help oversee all aspects of your bladder cancer treatment.
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