Bladder cancer

What is bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer is a cancer of the urinary bladder, the organ in which urine is stored before it leaves the body¹
The cancer usually starts in the inner lining of the bladder and may spread into the other layers of the bladder, including the muscle layer^1,2

Types of bladder cancer

Types of bladder cancer are named according to the type of cells seen in the tumour¹
Transitional cell carcinoma is the most common type¹
It can also be classified as follows, depending on how far it has spread:^1,2
- Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Muscle-invasive bladder cancer
- Locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer

Who gets bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer mostly affects older people; more than 50% of cases are diagnosed in people aged over 75 years²
Bladder cancer is more common in males than in females²
Smokers are 3 times as likely to get bladder cancer as non-smokers³
It is the 9th most common cancer worldwide⁴
430,000 new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2012⁴

Screening, detection, and diagnosis

The first test used to diagnose bladder cancer is cytoscopy⁵
A CT scan, MRI, or intravenous urogram might be used to get a more detailed picture⁵

If the cystoscopy shows abnormalities, a biopsy will be taken during a procedure called a transurethral resection of bladder tumour⁵

Patient guidelines

A patient guideline is a document containing information for patients and their families about their disease and the treatment options available to them

Click here to see the European patient guideline on your condition⁶

Local support groups

Contacting a support group may help you during diagnosis and treatment and afterwards

Infographics

Click here for information on the incidence of bladder cancer in Europe⁷