Yellow, Blue & Purple Ribbon · Awareness month: May
A bladder cancer diagnosis can bring questions about symptoms, treatment and everyday life. Learn what bladder cancer is, how it is found and treated, and how research is working toward better options for patients.
Understand risk factors, possible warning signs and when to seek medical advice.
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At NFCR, we believe understanding cancer is an important part of fighting it.
The bladder is an organ in the lower pelvis that stores urine. Bladder cancer develops when its cells grow out of control. Most cases are urothelial carcinoma, which starts in the cells lining the inside of the bladder.
Where bladder cancer begins and how it differs
Bladder cancers differ in the cells where they begin. The main distinction is between the common urothelial form and rarer diagnoses.
Behind every number is a person
These U.S. figures describe bladder cancer across large groups of people. They cannot predict an individual outcome.
U.S. estimates for 2026 · Source: American Cancer Society
Changes in urination to notice
Many bladder cancer symptoms involve changes in urination. Possible signs include:
Understand your risk of bladder cancer
Risk factors can include exposures and parts of your medical history. Discuss the factors that may apply to you with your doctor.
Tobacco use is a major bladder cancer risk factor.
Certain workplace chemicals, including those used in dye, textile, rubber, leather, paint and printing industries, can increase risk.
Exposure is another recognized risk factor.
Long-term irritation, stones or infections can affect risk.
Previous bladder or other urothelial cancer, family history, some genetic conditions and certain prior cancer treatments can increase risk.
Steps that may help lower risk: Avoid tobacco and get support to quit if you smoke. Follow workplace safety guidance to limit chemical exposure. Drink water and eat a balanced diet with fruit and vegetables as part of healthy habits. These steps do not eliminate the possibility of bladder cancer.
How bladder cancer is found — step by step
Changes in urination can lead to tests that help your doctor find the cause. Your team can explain which tests you need.
A sample may be checked for abnormal cells when blood or other concerning changes are found.
A thin, lighted instrument lets the doctor look inside the bladder for unusual tissue.
A small tissue sample is examined under a microscope to establish whether it is cancer and identify its type.
Understanding your results: Ask what the tests showed, which type of bladder cancer you have and how far it has grown. Your care team can explain how these findings guide the next steps.
Explore your bladder cancer treatment options
Bladder cancer can be treated with surgery or medicines. Your plan depends on the diagnosis and your individual circumstances.
An operation may be used to remove cancer. Ask your team what surgery would involve and how it could affect daily life.
Medicine is delivered directly into the bladder through a catheter.
Medicine acts throughout the body rather than only inside the bladder.
Treatment prompts an immune response against cancer. BCG is one form used inside the bladder in appropriate cases.
Medicines act on specific features involved in cancer growth.
Studies test new treatment approaches. Ask whether a trial may fit your diagnosis and needs.
You don’t need to understand everything at once
Take time to understand your results and what each option could mean for daily life. Your care team can help you plan for treatment, recovery and ongoing checks.
Bladder Cancer — A few steps can help
A few steps can help
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Understanding how cancer cells grow, resist immune attack and spread is an important part of developing better treatments. Our research portfolio brings together work on chromosome changes, cancer signaling and RNA fragments. These projects address questions across cancer types; their possible relevance to bladder cancer requires further research.
We support research into cancer genetics, immune resistance and metastasis. Teresa Davoli and J. Silvio Gutkind investigate chromosome loss and immune resistance in oral cancer models, while Danny Welch and Isidore Rigoutsos study RNA fragments and cancer spread. These foundational projects may inform future research across cancers; they are not established bladder cancer treatments.
Explore scientists featured in our bladder cancer research portfolio and the broader biological questions their work addresses.
Studies chromosome changes and how they affect cancer’s ability to evade the immune system. Her collaboration with J. Silvio Gutkind uses oral cancer models to investigate loss of chromosome 9p.
Investigates cancer signaling and immune resistance. With Teresa Davoli, he studies how chromosome 9p loss affects the immune response in oral cancer models, with potential relevance to other cancers.
Develops computational tools to study small RNA fragments. His collaboration with Danny Welch examines how these fragments may influence cancer spread.
Studies the biological processes that allow cancer to spread, including mitochondrial genes and RNA fragments. His collaboration with Isidore Rigoutsos combines laboratory research with computational analysis.
Explore the next step in your journey
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Find ways to helpEvery new discovery has the potential to change what we know about cancer — how it begins, how it spreads, how it can be detected, and how it can be treated.
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