When bladder cancer develops, some patients experience noticeable signs and symptoms while others have none. Symptoms that do manifest can mimic those of other conditions, so it’s important to choose a care provider with the expertise to know the difference. At Regional Cancer Care Associates, our patients in Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey rely on the unmatched credentials of our team to receive an accurate diagnosis and customized treatment plan.
Bladder cancer is common, affecting nearly 68,000 Americans every year. It begins in the urothelial cells that line the inside of the bladder, the organ responsible for storing urine, and can also develop in other areas of the urinary tract. As cells experience a DNA mutation and divide out of control, tumors then develop, causing symptoms in some patients and no signs or symptoms in others. Although bladder cancer can occur in anyone at any age, it is typically found in older adults and is more common in men than women.
As with any form of cancer, each patient will experience different signs and symptoms at varying levels of severity. The most common bladder cancer symptoms include:
Some patients don’t notice bladder cancer symptoms until the cancer has already metastasized, or spread to other areas. If this is the case, other symptoms will vary based on where the cancer has reached and may include:
If you notice any of these signs or other concerning symptoms, immediately schedule a visit with your doctor.
To correctly diagnose your condition, the physicians at Regional Cancer Care Associates will first take a medical history and ask about your symptoms and risk factors. With this information in mind, they can use a variety of screening methods to determine whether cancer is present.
The most common screening method for bladder cancer is a urinalysis, which tests the urine for abnormalities. The disease is frequently diagnosed when patients find blood in their urine. However, urinalysis can confirm whether trace amounts of blood not visible to the naked eye exist in the patient’s urine, a condition called microscopic hematuria. A more advanced method, urine cytology, can also detect the presence of cancer cells in urine.
Your physician may use other diagnostic screenings, from blood tests to computerized tomography (CT) scans, to confirm your diagnosis. If a tumor is found, your physician will likely perform a biopsy to determine whether it is benign.
If you or a loved one is experiencing suspected bladder cancer symptoms, contact Regional Cancer Care Associates today. With numerous locations throughout Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey, we can give you peace of mind with a fast, accurate diagnosis and provide targeted treatments to eliminate bladder cancer and restore quality of life.
With care centers in New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., area, thousands of patients each year have come to rely on the expertise, dedication and compassion of Regional Cancer Care Associates.
More than 80 medical oncologists and hematologists affiliated with Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) – one of the nation’s largest networks of oncology specialists — are on the frontlines of the fight against cancer in New Jersey, providing care to well over 100,000 people each year in 19 community-based practices across the Garden State.
The American Cancer Society will host its 43rd annual Diamond Ball Gala on November 24, 2024, at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, NJ.
Regional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
