What are the early and late stage symptoms of bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer is a disease that has very different symptoms in the early and late stages. Some people don't know where to start the corresponding treatment, that is, they don't choose the correct treatment method according to the stage of disease development. In this case, it is easy to miss the best time for treatment. Here I will tell you what the early and late symptoms of bladder cancer are.

Early symptoms

1. The most common early symptom of bladder cancer is hematuria that can be seen with the naked eye without any feeling. This is a unique "abnormal urination signal" of bladder cancer. Almost every bladder cancer patient will experience it, and about 85% of bladder cancer patients seek medical treatment for this reason. There are two types of hematuria: macroscopic hematuria and microscopic hematuria. Macroscopic hematuria refers to bloody urine that can be seen directly with the eyes, and microscopic hematuria refers to red blood cells that can be found in the urine under a microscope. Bladder cancer hematuria is mostly painless and intermittent. Most cases are full-course hematuria, and a few are terminal hematuria. Hematuria accompanied by frequent urination and urgency is less common.

2. Frequent and urgent urination: If the tumor grows in the bladder triangle, bladder irritation may appear earlier. If urination pain occurs, it is not in the early stage. If unexplained hematuria suddenly appears, it is the earliest sign of bladder cancer.

3. If the tumor invades widely and deeply, pain may occur, which is aggravated by bladder contraction and urine retention. If the tumor is located at the bladder neck, it may cause urethral obstruction and even urinary retention. If the tumor invades the urethral orifice, hydronephrosis and ascending infection may occur. Severe patients may develop sepsis and uremia, and cachexia may occur in the late stage.

Late symptoms

(1) Hematuria. This is the most typical late-stage symptom of bladder disease. More than 90% of patients have hematuria. Repeated hematuria and prolonged duration will consume essence and blood, eventually causing severe anemia, leading to physical weakness, fatigue, lack of strength, and weight loss in patients.

(2) Cancer pain. Advanced bladder cancer involving the pleura can cause severe chest pain. Involving the periosteum and invading the bones can cause bone pain. In severe cases, it can cause systemic pain that is unbearable and lasts day and night.

(3) Symptoms of advanced bladder cancer include urinary retention, where a large amount of urine accumulates in the bladder and cannot be discharged, blocking the bladder neck or urethra. The main symptoms are inability to urinate or difficulty in urinating. In severe cases, urination may not be possible for a week. These are typical symptoms of advanced bladder cancer.

The treatment of bladder cancer must be based on some corresponding symptoms. Otherwise, our treatment will not be targeted and the final treatment will not be able to achieve a very good effect. Many people do not realize this, so they often take many detours during treatment. I hope these are helpful to everyone.