How is bladder cancer diagnosed?
It is very important to listen to the patients’ complaints and evaluate them well.
During the physical examination of the patient, sometimes no symptom appears. In some patients, especially in cases where the tumor is on the anterior surface of the bladder and is large, the tumor may be palpable on the examination. Again, if the bladder is full of blood clots and the patient is unable to urinate, the tumor becomes palpable on the examination.
Is there a difference between men and women in getting bladder cancer?
Although the reason is not known clearly, bladder cancer is more common in men.
Bladder cancers are seen in three female patients versus five male patients. That men smoke more or are exposed to chemicals may be the underlying reason for this difference. But, this is only an assumption. The reason of this difference is not clearly known.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
The most common and important complaint of patients is blood in the urine. This complaint is observed in more than 90% of the patients. The most typical symptom of bladder cancer is intermittent and painless blood in the urine, containing clots.
Other possible complaints are burning during urination, need for urinating frequently, blood clots in the urine, and sometimes getting unable to urinate due to the accumulation of the clots in the bladder as a result of excessive bleeding.