Symptoms

Main symptoms of bladder cancer

The main symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your pee.

Other symptoms include:

pain, burning, stinging or itching when you pee
getting lots of urinary tract infections
needing to pee more often
needing to pee very suddenly
losing your appetite and losing weight without trying to
pain in your back and lower tummy
aching, pain or tenderness in your bones
feeling very tired for no reason and feeling generally unwell

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

You have blood in your pee, even if:

you do not have any other symptoms
it's the first time it's happened
there's only a small amount of blood
you're not sure if it's blood

Blood in your pee may be bright pink, red or dark brown.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

See a GP if:

you think you may have bladder cancer

Try not to be embarrassed. They'll be used to talking about these symptoms.

Important

Some of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions.

Having these symptoms does not definitely mean you have bladder cancer, but it's important to get checked by a GP.

If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.

What happens at your GP appointment

Depending on your symptoms, a GP may need to check inside your bottom (rectal examination) or vagina. This is where they put a gloved finger inside your bottom or vagina to check for lumps.

You'll be asked to undress from the waist down for a rectal or vaginal exam. You can ask for a male or female doctor.

You can ask for someone else to be in the room with you when the examination happens (a chaperone). This could be someone you know, a nurse or a trained member of staff.

You may also need to have a blood test or give a sample of your pee.

Referral to a specialist

The GP may refer you for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital if they think you have symptoms that need to be investigated.

This may be an urgent referral if you have certain symptoms. This does not definitely mean you have cancer.

Find out more

Cancer Research UK: seeing your GP about bladder cancer

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